The Things I Regret
by RipleyBrennan
Summary: Callie and Arizona decide it's time to have another child. A story of love and loss, faith and doubt, and what makes a family.
1. Prologue

**A/N: This fic is cannon through about season 9. There is no affair, and no separation. The lives of the other characters are mostly cannon as well, except for Cristina stays at Grey Sloan (mostly because I love Cristina and really like having her around). It fits into the same universe as my other Callie/Arizona fics.**

 **Disclaimer: With the exception of one original character, the setting and all characters belong to Shondaland.**

* * *

Callie carefully balanced the pizza in one hand as she inserted her key into her locked front door with the other, eventually clicking it unlocked, pushing the door open and stepping into her house. It was the first evening in months that neither she nor Arizona was working or on-call. So, after dropping Sofia off at Meredith's for a sleepover with Zola, she stopped to picked up a pizza, intending to surprise her wife with an evening in.

"Arizona!" she called through the house, her heels clicking on their hardwood floor as she closed the door behind her and walked through the dark house in search of her wife. While there were no lights on, she knew Arizona was home because her car was in the driveway. Anyway, it wasn't uncommon for the house to be dark when Arizona was home alone. She always had only the lights on that she needed—it drove her crazy that Callie and Sofia always seemed to leave every light in the house on 24 hours a day.

Callie walked swiftly through the living room, cursing as she tripped over Sofia's toys sprawled out on the floor. She frowned in surprise as she entered the kitchen, dropping her purse haphazardly on the table as she kicked her shoes off carelessly. While it certainly wasn't uncommon for their daughter to leave her things strewn around the house, it was a bit odd for them to still be on the living room floor on days when Arizona wasn't working. While her wife talked a big talk about teaching Sofia discipline and making her clean up her own messes, she usually couldn't help herself from cleaning up on her days off. Looking across the kitchen and down the hallway, Callie spotted their bedroom door sitting ajar with a narrow sliver of light shining into the hallway. Callie headed over in that direction, turning kitchen light on as she left the room. She hated a dark house.

"Hey," Callie said with a smile as she pushed the door open, seeing her wife sitting on the bed with a book, "I brought pizza!" She slipped out of her blazer as she scurried over to hop onto the bed next to Arizona. "I figured since we have the night to ourselves, we might eat pizza and then—" she stopped abruptly as she looked at her wife's puffy red eyes. Setting the pizza on the nightstand, she gently turned Arizona's face to meet hers, noting a couple tear tracks present on her face, "Babe, what's wrong?'"

Arizona forced a smile, planting a kiss on her wife's lips, her unkept blonde locks brushing against Callie's face as she pulled away, "I'm okay. It's just… it's February 17th." Callie's face fell as guilt rose in her chest—how horrible was she to forget? Turning once again to the book her wife had been looking at, she could see an album filled with pictures of a younger Arizona and a young boy with matching blue eyes and dimples. Callie had never met him, but somehow after all these years, she felt like she knew him well.

"It's been fifteen years today," Arizona said, turning her attention back to the photo album. Callie wrapped an arm around her and planted a kiss on her forehead as she looked at the pictures. They were familiar to her now—she had heard the stories year after year on this day, but she would never get tired of it. It was the only way she had of knowing this person that was so important to Arizona.

"This one's of me and Timothy at the base in Guam. I had just turned 10 and he was only 7. God, he drove me crazy that year—there were no other kids his age on the base so he was constantly following me around, begging my friends and me to play power rangers with him," Arizona laughed at the memory, before turning the page to the next picture.

"Oh, this was us at the base in Texas. I was 13 and I had my first crush on this girl in my class named Jennifer with this long red hair," Arizona laughed, "Can you even imagine coming to that realization at thirteen while living in Texas?" Callie shook her head—she genuinely couldn't. "Timothy was the first one I told—he was only 11 at the time. I told him I was gay, and he asked me, 'Does that mean you're gonna marry a chick?'" Arizona grasped Callie's hand as she continued, playing with the ring on her wife's finger, "And I said 'Yes.' And he said, 'I'm gonna dance so hard at your wedding.'" Arizona chuckled sadly, knowing that he would have if he could have been there.

She turned to the next picture, this one of an Arizona who looked to be in her mid twenties clad in light green scrubs, standing next to a blonde man in army fatigues. While in the earlier pictures Arizona was taller than her brother, Timothy had at some point surpassed her in height, and in this photo, he stood a good six inches taller than his older sister.

"He shipped out on his second tour of duty during my last year of residency. I was so overwhelmed with work—I mean, you know how it is: working over 100 hours a week to book as many surgeries as possible, chief resident duties, and somehow trying to find time to study for the boards as well? He was doing his training, but somehow managed to get 48 hour leave to fly over and see me." Arizona's eyes filled with tears once more, "That was the last time I saw him."

Callie pulled her closer, running a hand through her wife's hair, "I'm so sorry, Arizona." The blonde sniffled into the her chest, "It's hard to believe I've lived so long without him." She looked up at Callie and smiled, "And so much of it has been so good. You and Sofia are two of the best things that ever happened to me. I just wish he'd have been here to meet you." Callie nodded in agreement, "Me too."

Arizona sat up, taking a deep breath and wiping the tears from her face, "Did I hear you say you brought pizza?" Callie smiled, grabbing the box from the nightstand and plopping it down on the bed in front of them. Opening it up, Arizona eagerly grabbed a slice, "All I've eaten today has been doughnuts. I think it's about time to eat something other than deep fried sugar." Callie laughed, grabbing a slice for herself. "Yeah, and this is a veggie pizza, so it's healthy," Callie added teasingly. Arizona rolled her eyes, as she bit into her slice. The two of them chewed in silence for a few minutes before Arizona finally spoke up.

"I want to have another kid."

Callie froze, slowly swallowed the pizza in her mouth before turning to her wife, a puzzled look on her face, "What brought this on?"

Arizona shrugged sheepishly, but continued, cautious excitement tinging her voice, "We've talked about it before. We've been talking about it for years, really. And I just think that it's time. If not now, when?" She took Callie's hand, rubbing her knuckles gently as she continued, "Calliope, life is so short and we never know what will happen tomorrow. But I want to raise another child with you. I want Sofia to have a sibling. She should have a sibling."

Callie finally looked up and met Arizona's eyes, a smile spreading slowly across her face, "Okay."

"What?" Arizona responded, her eyes wide, shocked that her request had gotten such a quick response.

"Okay," Callie said again, her smile growing by the second, "Let's have another baby."

In an instantly, Arizona had dropped her pizza back into the box and her lips were locked with her wife's. They were going to have another child. After a moment she pulled away, picking up her slice of pizza once more and taking another bite as she leaned her head against Callie's shoulder, relaxing against her wife as Callie placed a kiss on the top of her head and her arm around her shoulders, before grabbing herself a slice of pizza.


	2. Chapter 1

_At almost 3am after a grueling shift in the ER, Arizona was finally settling onto a bed in an on-call room. She had slept maybe 6 hours out of the last 40 and she was absolutely exhausted. This week had been a killer. Not that her whole residency at Hopkins hadn't been difficult thus far, but this week had felt particularly brutal. Between overnight shifts in the NICU, back-to-back surgeries on tiny humans, and trying to squeeze in time to study for her boards, she had been running practically non-stop. Like the energizer bunny. Except that the energizer bunny would probably feel more… energized right about now. But she desperately needed a nap. After giving her residents specific instructions not to disturb her unless one of her patients was dying or there was a_ really _gory trauma involving a child, she laid her head down onto the pillow in hopes of catching a few hours of sleep before rounds. She was just about to doze off when—_

 _ **BEEP BEEP BEEP**_

 _Groaning loudly, she forced her eyes open and grabbed her pager, which summoned her back to the ER. Jumping to her feet, she ran through the hall to check out whatever trauma had come in. "Better be good," she mumbled under her breath as she reached the ER, looking for Amelia, a third year resident who she considered a good friend when she wasn't interrupting her much needed sleep, to figure out why she'd been paged._

" _What have we got?" Arizona barked at her, hands on her hips. Amelia turned to her with a smile, "Someone in the waiting room wants to talk to you." Confusion spread across Arizona's face, followed by anger, "Someone wants to talk to me? Like a parent? Spit it out, Shepherd. I need to know who's family I'm updating. Also, was this really not something another resident could handle? Seriously, what part of gory trauma or dying child did you not understand?"_

" _Woah, calm down, Lord Voldemort," Amelia shot back, and then shrugged defensively at Arizona's glare, "What? Have you heard yourself lately? You're a full on horror-show. And you wonder why the interns call you she-who-must-not-be-named."_

" _Amelia, just—"_

" _Dude. Seriously, just go to the waiting room. And trust me, you'll be happy I paged you," Amelia stated with a cocky smirk. Rolling her eyes, Arizona trudged toward the waiting room. But when she arrived, she froze, her breath hitching in her throat, unable to believe who she saw waiting there for her._

" _Timothy?" she asked, half worried that her exhausted brain was playing tricks on her. A gigantic, dimpled grin broke across her brother's face. "Well, aren't you gonna give me a hug Zona?" he asked in his typical carefree manner. Breaking out of her stupor, Arizona rushed forward, throwing her arms around her brother's neck and holding on tight. She hadn't made it home for Christmas, so it had been over a year since she'd seen him last. "I missed you so much," she mumbled into his army fatigues, feeling tears welling up in her exhausted eyes._

" _Me too," he told her sincerely. Arizona clung tight for a minute before pulling away, "How did you even get here? Aren't you supposed to be at basic training?" He shrugged, offering a nonchalant response, "Told my sergeant that I hadn't seen my big sis in over a year and I needed to see her before I shipped out. He gave me 48 hour leave." Arizona's jaw dropped; growing up in a military family, she knew this was hard to come by._

" _I wish you'd called though," she said sadly. "I'm working all day."_

" _No, you're not, " Amelia called out from across the waiting room. Looking at her friend in bewilderment, Arizona was about to object, but Amelia continued, "I cleared it with McClane. We're trading shifts. So, starting now, you are off duty for the next 36 hours." Arizona's jaw dropped, "What? But I have patients—"_

" _Your brother is here. He's going to Iraq in two weeks. Who knows when you'll get to see him again?" Amelia said, gentleness mixing its way into her normally snarky tone. Arizona knew that her friend was right, and tried not to read too much into Amelia's statement, otherwise the fear would overwhelm her._

 _Turning to Timothy, a beam slowly worked its way across her face. Her excitement at his presence had awakened her, and she now actually felt energized, ready for a day of adventure with her brother, "Let's get the hell out of this hospital." And with that, she kicked off on her heelies, laughing as Timothy ran to catch up with her._

* * *

"Momma!" Sofia cried as Arizona walked through the door of their home, "I finally mastered the bowline!" The young girl held out a neatly tied knot for her mother to admire. Arizona smiled widely, taking the rope into her hands to admire the knot, "Oh, bug. This looks perfect! We'll have to take a picture and send it to your grandfather. He'll be so proud of you."

Callie looked on from where she was making dinner at the kitchen counter, smiling at her daughter's enthusiasm. Her smile faltered, however, when her eyes met Arizona's, sensing that something wasn't right. Her wife's smile wasn't quite reaching her blue eyes.

"Why don't you go practice your sheet bend while I help Mami with dinner, alright?" Arizona cheerfully suggested to her daughter as she handed her back the rope. Sofia gleefully nodded before skipping off to her room. When she was out of earshot, Arizona looked up at Callie, her smile gone as she walked slowly toward the kitchen. Callie stopped chopping the potatoes she was about to boil, gently setting the knife down on the cool granite surface before walking around the counter to meet her wife. "What is it?" she asked cautiously. Arizona wordlessly gestured for Callie to sit down at the table, and then took the seat next to her wife. Inhaling deeply as Callie took her hand, she finally managed to look her wife in the eye, "I got the results of the fertility tests."

Callie's heart sunk. She patiently waited for Arizona's response, though she already knew what was happening. Her wife's demeanor said it all. Tears clouded Arizona's eyes as she continued her voice breaking, "I'm so sorry, Callie, but I don't have any eggs left. I can't have children."

In a second, Callie had wrapped Arizona tightly in her arms, shaking her head as her own tears clouded her vision, "Babe, don't apologize. It's not your fault." Arizona sniffled against her, "But Callie, I know how much you wanted a baby. How much we both wanted another child. And with the adhesions from the accident in your uterus—" Callie shook her head fiercely, "This isn't the only way. There's always surrogacy or—"

"Adoption," Arizona provided. Wiping the tears hastily from her eyes. "I know, I know it will be okay. I'm just disappointed." Callie nodded, running a hand through her wife's blonde hair, "Me too."

"But, Arizona. I just know that our baby is waiting out there for us. Somewhere in this universe, a woman is waiting to be our surrogate, or a condom is breaking and our child is being conceived." At that, Arizona burst into giggles, "Calliope!"

"What?" said Callie, "Babe, if you were meant to have our baby, you would have it. But you weren't. So, maybe it just wasn't meant to be. Maybe God has another plan."

"I know you believe that," Arizona whispered gently. Callie looked away awkwardly, "I know you don't believe that."

Calmly, Arizona nodded, "Not like that." Taking Callie's hand tenderly in hers, she continued, "But I believe in you. I believe in Sofia. I believe in us. We've been through hell and back, and I believe we can get through anything."

Callie smiled, planting a kiss on Arizona's lips before standing up and returning to the counter to continue making dinner, playfully swatting her wife's hand away as she tried to swipe a carrot she had just sliced.

* * *

" _This cupcake is inedible. I am so deeply disappointed with this cupcake,"_ Florian scoffed from the television set as Callie rolled her eyes dramatically in frustration, "Well, is it really her fault? I mean, you can't put fried chicken into a cupcake."

"Not with that attitude you can't," Arizona quipped back, taking a sip of her wine as she leaned into her wife's side and flung her feet onto their coffee table. The two of them were squished cozily onto their love seat, with Meredith and Cristina sitting on the couch across from them. Amelia was sitting on the floor with Sofia and Zola, and Bailey and Ellis were playing upstairs.

"I agree with Momma," Sofia chimed, "I think that anything can be a cupcake. They're so delicious!"

"Well, that one doesn't look too delicious," Cristina stated flatly, cringing at the soggy fried chicken cupcake that the judges were critiquing. Meredith snorted next to her, "I still can't believe we're watching this."

"It's Arizona's fault," Amelia stated bluntly. "I mean, who else could have come up with this?"

"Hey!" cried Arizona defensively, "What's more fun than watching _Cupcake Wars_ while making cupcakes?"

"I can think of lots of things," Amelia shot back, adding under her breath, "None of them PG though." Which earned her a snort from Callie and a smack on the back of the head from Arizona.

Just then, the oven timer went off. "They're ready!" Zola announced, jumping up from where she was sitting on the floor, shortly followed by Sofia. "Hey, slow down girls. Remember you need a grown up to get them out of the oven for you," Meredith reminded sternly.

"I'll get it," offered Cristina, pulling herself up from the couch and following the girls into the kitchen, "I don't think I can take much more of this." Meredith snickered as Amelia hopped up taking Cristina's place on the couch. "Pause it, Momma!" they heard Sofia cry out in panic from the kitchen. "What did you say, m'ija? I can't hear your over the television," Callie teased from the living room, but Arizona had already grabbed the remote and paused the show, "Don't be mean, Calliope. You know how she hates to miss anything."

"Zola too," Meredith laughed, "You should see her face when anyone talks during _Chopped_. She does _not_ like to miss any of the details."

"God, they're probably both gonna grow up to be competitive chefs," Arizona pondered, thinking of their daughters' many sleepovers involving cooking game shows. Amelia shook her head, "Oh, please. Raised by this crowd? You know they're gonna be surgeons."

"Oh, Amelia! I want our daughter to be whatever she wants to be," Callie insisted earnestly. "As long as that's a surgeon," Arizona added, but when met by an exasperated look from Callie, she amended, "I'm kidding! Geez, kid can be whatever she wants to be."

Taking another sip of wine, Arizona turned to Meredith, staring at her with unusual intensity as she pondered thoughtfully. "What? Quit staring. You're weirding me out, Robbins," Meredith said. Arizona quickly shook herself from her reverie, "Sorry, I was just wondering. How did know you wanted to adopt Zola?"

"Woah, that's a loaded question," interjected Amelia, but Meredith was unfazed, "I didn't." Callie raised her eyebrows and Amelia scoffed, "And people say I need a filter."

"Oh, I'm certainly happy I did, of course," Meredith continued calmly, "But I didn't know. Derek did. And we wanted to have kids, so I trusted him." Callie still looked skeptical, "You make it seem so matter of fact."

Meredith shrugged ambivalently, "I guess. I mean, it didn't feel that way. It felt like this big emotional decision. But it was a couple of weeks after I took her home before I knew that she was mine."

"How did you know?" Arizona asked eagerly, leaning forward to listen closer as she pulled her legs off the table and crossed them beneath her. Meredith thought for a moment, "It happened when I wasn't looking, really. I was going through the motions at first. I was exhausted, and Derek and I were living apart. I was entering my fifth year of residency, for god's sake. But somewhere, in the midst of all that, she became my daughter."

Meredith finished, looking curiously from Arizona to Callie and back again, "What brought this on? You two thinking of adopting?"

The pair exchanged a glance. Arizona had only gotten the results from the fertility test a few days ago. They had only just begun to discuss adoption as an option amongst themselves and were unsure of whether they wanted to bring it up now. As they tried to decide how to respond, they were rescued by Sofia and Zola, who ran back into the room, each carrying a plate filled with chocolate frosted cupcakes, eager to dig in and continue watching _Cupcake Wars_.

* * *

"Preadolescent girl, car accident, trauma to the head and chest with a possible spinal chord injury," the EMT informed Alex Karev as he ran alongside the gurney that carried a pale young girl, covered with lacerations and streaks of blood clumping in her dark blonde hair. Alex began to assess quickly as he directed them into the open trauma room.

"Okay, get a head CT, and an MRI. Page Shepherd. Robbins, too," Alex instructed the residents while examining the young girl's chest for signs of internal bleeding. As he pressed down on her abdomen to examine it, he heard her moan in pain. "She's regaining consciousness. Push 10 mg of morphine," he barked at the residents, before redirecting his attention to the girl laying on his table. "I know, it hurts, okay? But we're gonna take really good care of you." he comforted gently in a voice reserved for the kids he worked with.

The young girl opened her eyes and looked up at him, fear overtaking her features. "Where's my dad? Is he alright?" she asked, her voice hoarse and panicked. Alex took her hand, "I don't know, but we're gonna find out. What's your name?"

Swallowing a sob, she answered, "Riley." She grimaced in pain as Alex continued to examine her abdomen. He nodded, keeping his voice calm and reassuring, "Okay, Riley. Just try to relax. We're gonna take you upstairs for some tests." Just then, Amelia Shepherd entered the room, "Update me, Karev." She barked, grabbing the chart from a resident as he they began to wheel Riley from the room.

Turning to the resident nearest him, Alex whispered, "Do you know where her Dad is?" The resident hesitated, waiting for Riley to be out of earshot, before responding, "He's in the next trauma room… and he doesn't look good." Alex let out a huff of frustration. "Damn it," he cursed under his breath as he walked out of the room. "And where the hell is Robbins? We could really use an extra set of hands—"

"Right here, Karev," Arizona stated as she walked toward the gurney, grasping onto Riley's hand tightly as she introduced herself, "Riley, I'm Dr. Robbins, and we're going to take really good care of you." The young girl's blue eyes met Arizona's briefly before the morphine took over and she slipped out of consciousness once more.


	3. Chapter 2

Callie and Arizona waited anxiously on the couch in the lobby of the adoption agency—Callie tapping her foot persistently and nervously watching her wife, who seemed to be looking at her watch every two seconds. "It's five minutes past when our appointment was supposed to start," Arizona stated restlessly, "I mean, do you think we should say something? You don't think—"

"Arizona, chill. Five minutes is not that long," Callie sighed irritably. She was generally amused by her military brat wife's obsessive punctuality, but today, it was just stressing her out. However, Callie's annoyed tone only added to Arizona's frustration, "Callie, we're trusting these people to give us a baby, the least they could do is show up—"

Before she could finish her sentence, the door opened and a slender woman, wearing a polka dot sweater and gold hoop earrings entered the room. Callie and Arizona both instantly scrambled off the couch to their feet, stretching out their arms to shake the outstretched hand of the woman approaching them, "Hello, my name is Mara McKnight. And you must be Callie and Arizona."

"Yes," stated Callie flatly, feeling awkward and boring but unable to come up with anything else to at that moment. "Pleased to meet you, Mara," replied Arizona politely. Mara smiled warmly and led the pair back to her office, taking her seat behind the desk and indicating that the two women should sit in the chairs set out in front.

"So," Mara began, shuffling papers on the her desk around as she looked for their file, "You're interested in adoption." Callie and Arizona nodded in unison, "We want another baby," Callie provided excitedly, squeezing Arizona's hand. Mara returned her wide smile, "Well, that's fantastic. Adoption really is a wonderful option for creating a family."

Finally locating their file and opening it up, Mara continued, reading some details noted in their paperwork, "Okay, so I see that you already have a daughter, Sofia?" They both nodded as Mara continued, "Callie, she's your daughter?"

Feeling Arizona stiffen next to her, Callie rubbed her hand reassuringly, "Sofia is both of ours. But I am her biological mother." Arizona nodded vehemently, "I've been one of Sofia's parents since she was born. And we filled out the second parent adoption papers after her father, Mark, passed away." Mara smiled apologetically, sensing she had struck a nerve, "Of course. You're both her mothers."

"And how old is Sofia?" Mara asked, directing her question to Arizona. "She just turned nine," Arizona answered. Mara smiled kindly, "So, what's your ideal timeline for adopting? How soon would you like a baby?" Callie looked to Arizona, unsure of the answer. "We hadn't really talked about that," provided Arizona, feeling suddenly quite unprepared, but Mara just hummed in acknowledgement. "Okay. Well, just so you know, the wait time to adopt an infant can be quite long. Sometimes the process can take years."

Callie inhaled sharply, "Wow. I didn't know it would take _that_ long." Mara nodded sympathetically, "Have you considered adopting an older child?"

"No," replied Callie instantly, "We want a baby." She looked over at Arizona for reassurance, but was surprised when her wife looked back at her with a perplexed expression. "We haven't talked about adopting an older child," she answered neutrally.

"You don't have to decide now," assured Mara, "But it's an option to consider. The wait time for adopting an older child is significantly shorter. Something I would recommend is registering as foster parents—that way, when a situation arises where a child could be placed in your home, you could take them in immediately. And there are so many children in our foster system in need of loving homes."

Arizona looked at Callie, trying to catch her eye, but Callie seemed fixated on her purse sitting in her lap at the moment, "We'll consider it," Arizona finally provided, releasing Callie's hand and leaning back in her chair.

* * *

"I thought you wanted a baby," Callie mumbled from the passenger's seat in the car ride home, finally ending what had been a silent five minutes. Arizona glanced toward her wife before turning her attention back to the road in front of her, "You said you wanted a baby. I said I wanted another child." Arizona pulled into the driveway of their house, put the car in park, and with a sigh, turned to face her wife, "Callie, I don't see why you're so opposed to the idea."

"I'm not _opposed_ ," Callie stated defensively, "I just… I want a baby. I thought you wanted a baby. You love babies!"

"No, _you_ love babies—"

"Oh, come on Arizona. You spend all day with babies—"

"Not just babies, children too," Arizona continued, "And that really has nothing to do with wanting a baby instead of an older child. You know, if we adopted an older kid, she would be closer in age to Sofia. They could play together, be friends."

Callie scoffed sarcastically, "They'd still be siblings, so they wouldn't be friends." Arizona bit her lip, raising her eyebrows to challenge that statement, "Just because you and your sister don't get along doesn't mean that's how it would be for Sofia."

"Well, just because you and Timothy were _best friends_ doesn't mean that's how it would be for Sofia either," Callie snapped back. Arizona was quiet for several moments and Callie worried she'd upset her. She knew she had to be careful when discussing Timothy.

"Look, I'm just saying we should think about it. Okay?" Arizona stated calmly, twirling her car keys between her fingers. Callie took a deep breath, "Fine. I'll think about it." Arizona nodded, climbing out of the car and into the house without another word, leaving Callie in the car to ponder what was coming next.

* * *

 _Arizona woke to the sound of her bedroom door creaking open, and a set of small feet pattering towards her bed. "Zona?" she heard a whisper next to her in the dark. With a groan she opened her eyes, allowing them to focus on numbers glowing in red on the digital clock sitting on her nightstand. 03:17._

" _Timothy, it's three in the morning. What do want?" the 11 year old girl grumbled at her 8 year old brother, who stood anxiously beside her bed. "I had a bad dream," he mumbled, "Can I sleep in your bed?" Arizona rolled her eyes, "You're getting too old for this." But she lifted up the corner of her covers anyway, allowing her brother to climb into bed next to her. "Ah, your feet are cold! Keep them on your side!" Arizona hissed when her little brother's icicle toes brushed up against her legs. "Sorry," he whispered as he pulled his feet away from her._

 _Arizona rolled over, closing her eyes once more in an attempt to get back to sleep. But after only a minute's silence, Timothy's voice called out again, "Zona?" With an irked sigh, Arizona rolled over, "What is it now, Timothy? I'm trying to sleep."_

 _He looked at his sister with wide eyes, "I dreamed that dad died." Arizona's expression softened, reaching over and brushing her brother's hair from his eyes, "Timothy, dad's fine. He called yesterday, remember? He's not even in combat right now."_

 _But her words did not console her brother, "But Zona, it's a war. People drop bombs or come in and shoot or—"_

" _I know that, okay?" Arizona snapped, regretting her harsh tone the moment her words left her mouth when she saw the tears forming in her brother's eyes. She didn't like thinking about these things any more than he did. Taking in a deep breath, she replied again, softer this time, "I know, but he's okay right now."_

" _But what if something happens?"_

" _It won't."_

" _But what if it does?" Timothy pleaded, and Arizona bit her lip to stop the tears that were building in her eyes from falling. She remembered her father's instructions to her before he left, the same instructions he had given her so many times before — "I need you to be a good man in a storm. Look out for Timothy. You need to protect the things you love." She knew that she needed to be strong for her little brother. Placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder, she responded, "Then we'll get through it. Momma, and you, and me."_

 _Rubbing his arm comfortingly, she stated again firmly, "But he's okay now, so stop worrying and get some sleep." Timothy nodded as Arizona pulled away, rolling over and closing her eyes once more. "Good night, Zona," he mumbled sleepily. Arizona exhaled slowly, "Good night, Timothy."_

* * *

"Has she woken up yet?" Arizona asked Alex softly as she entered Riley's room. It had taken several hours in surgery, but they had finally managed to stabilize the young girl. He shook his head, "Not yet. How's her dad?" Arizona sighed sadly, "He's in a coma." Looking over at the sleeping girl laying on the bed, she asked hopefully, "Have you been able to contact any other family members?" Alex responded with a dejected, "Nah, from what the social worker was able to find out, looks like he was a single dad—her mother died in childbirth. They couldn't find any living relatives."

Arizona shook her head sadly as she took in the pale, bruised girl laying on the bed in front of them. They had saved her life the day before, which was no small feat considering the accident she was in, but Amelia suspected that the spinal cord damage was irreversible. While they wouldn't know until she woke up, it was likely she would never be able to walk again. And on top of that, her only living relative was in a coma down the hall.

"Make sure someone's sitting with her round the clock," Arizona told Alex, who in turn, looked at her like she was crazy, "Robbins, are you insane? We can't have someone watching her all the time. She's not the only one in this hospital, you know." Giving him a peeved look, Arizona responded, "Why do you think we have interns? Just make it happen, Karev." Her face softened, "She shouldn't be alone when she wakes up."


	4. Chapter 3

It had been a tense couple of days for Callie and Arizona since the adoption meeting. Their relationship felt too polite, too formal. It didn't help that they had been working opposite shifts for the past 48 hours and had barely gotten to see each other in three days.

It after midnight when Arizona slipped into their bedroom. She cringed as her prosthetic squeaked while she walked—her current leg was getting some adjustments so she was stuck wearing her old one for a couple days. Trying to move as quietly as possible and undressing with the lights off, she finally had her pajamas on and was sitting on the edge of the bed, removing her prosthetic, when she heard Callie stir next to her.

"Hey babe," she mumbled sleepily, rolling over to be closer to her wife as Arizona undid the Velcro on her prosthesis with a loud _shwick_. Arizona smiled apologetically, "I didn't mean to wake you. There's just really no way to do this quietly, you know?" Callie nodded, teasing, "I do know." Smacking her wife playfully, Arizona climbed into bed, snuggling up next to her partner, grateful that Callie was teasing her once again. But despite Arizona's smile, Callie could sense that something was off, "You okay?"

Arizona nodded sadly, "Just a hard day, you know? I have this girl in peds who was in a horrific car accident, has yet to wake up from surgery after nearly three days, and probably will never walk again, while her dad, the only family we could track down for her, is in a coma." Callie exhaled slowly, her arms drooping slightly under the weight of that heavy news, "That's awful. I'm sorry."

"Me too," Arizona whispered, burrowing deeper into Callie's chest. They lay like that for a couple of minutes, before Callie broke the silence, "I want a baby. I just do. I don't know why, I really don't. You probably think I'm terrible."

At that, Arizona pulled away slightly so that she could hold her wife's face in her hand, "Calliope, I could never think that. You are the opposite of terrible." She leaned forward, kissing her wife gently on the temple, "It's okay that you want a baby. You don't have to justify it to me."

Callie nodded gratefully, but continued, "I think, if you want to though, that we should register as foster parents." Arizona raised her eyebrows, "I don't want to if you don't want to." But Callie shook her head, "You were right. I don't think there's any harm in registering. It doesn't mean we'd be obligated to adopt. We might as well open our options. We don't know what's meant to happen."

Arizona ran a hand through her partner's raven black hair, "Are you sure?"

Callie smiled reassuringly, "I'm sure."

Pulling her wife into a deep kiss, Arizona mumbled against her lips, "I love you so much Calliope Torres." Callie smirked seductively, playfully raising her eyebrows, "How much?"

* * *

" _Sofia, are you excited for your Aunt Aria to come visit tomorrow?" Callie asked her five year old daughter as they sat at the dinner table, waiting for Arizona to bring out the macaroni and cheese she'd just finished making. "Yeah!" Sofia cheered enthusiastically, "Aunt Aria brings me presents and she loves playing CandyLand." Callie nodded with a soft chuckle, "She sure does." While her own relationship with Aria was often tense and distant, her sister certainly loved Sofia, and Callie was grateful for that._

" _Alright, here comes dinner!" Arizona called as she entered from the kitchen, carrying a large pan of macaroni and cheese with two lopsided bright green frog pot holders that Sofia had made for her last Christmas. "Yum!" Sofia interjected as her mother set the pan on the table and began serving her a generous helping. After everyone had been served, Arizona took her own seat opposite Callie and began to eat._

" _Momma, when is Uncle Timothy gonna come visit me?"_

 _Callie froze at her daughter's innocent question. Looking across the table, she saw that Arizona was staring at her plate, unable to move. Sofia, oblivious to their response, kept chattering, "I mean, you talk about him. You tell me stories about him when you were little. And you say that he would be proud of me. But he never comes to visit, like Aunt Aria does. So, when is he coming to visit?"_

 _Arizona finally looked up from her plate, willing the tears hovering in her eyes not to fall as she gazed sadly at her daughter, comforted as Callie reached across the table and grabbed her hand. "Sofia… Uncle Timothy isn't coming to visit."_

 _Confusion crossed Sofia's face, "Why not?"_

" _Well, bug, your Uncle Timothy isn't alive. He died about eight years ago," Arizona finished, struggling to keep her voice from wavering. Sofia looked down at her plate solemnly."How did he die?" she asked sadly. Inhaling sharply, Arizona continued to explain as calmly as she could, "He was in the army, and a bomb exploded near his car." Horror filled her daughter's eyes, "He got blown up?" She asked, her voice filled with fear and disgust._

" _Sofia," Callie warned softly, seeing Arizona visibly wince at this question. "What?" Sofia asked, "Is that what happened?" Swallowing a sob, Arizona affirmed, "Yes, that's what happened."_

" _Why didn't you tell me he was dead?" Sofia accused, the sadness in her voice replaced by anger. Arizona shook her head in horror, stuttering as she continued, "I- I didn't realize you didn't know," she choked out, barely above a whisper. "But you didn't tell me!" Sofia cried back, her voice growing louder._

" _Sofia," Callie scolded again, this time more forcefully. "What?" demanded Sofia, feigning innocence. "You know what. Don't speak to your mother in that tone," Callie answered, raising her own voice to match her daughters, who slammed her fists onto the table, now beginning to shout, "But she lied! She didn't tell me he was dead!"_

 _A ragged sob escaped Arizona's lips as she hid her head in her hands. Callie instantly rose from her chair, walking over and laying a comforting hand on her back._

" _Momma?" asked Sofia, her voice dripping with guilt and fear. She rarely saw her mother cry, and her eyes instinctively began to tear up upon seeing her momma's pain. Quickly, Arizona looked up at her daughter, hastily wiping her tears on her sleeve, "I'm sorry, Sofia. I'm so sorry."_

 _Sofia hopped out of her chair and climbed into her mother's lap, her own tears following freely. She rested her head against her mother's chest, feeling it shake with sobs, "Don't cry, Momma. Please don't cry."_

* * *

"I'm just saying, it's weird," Callie provided as the anticlimactic end to her story about the new nurses' bizarre bedside manner when Arizona walked up to where she was sitting in the cafeteria at a table with Meredith, Cristina, and Amelia. "Hey, babe. What's up?"

"Riley woke up," Arizona provided, setting her tray down on the table and taking her seat next to Callie. "Who's Riley?" Cristina asked. "Kid with the spinal chord injury who Robbins as developed a strange attachment too, considering she's barely spoken to her while conscious." Cristina nodded in recognition as Arizona stuttered defensively, "I'm her doctor! I don't think it's that strange that I happen to care whether she's conscious."

"I thought Alex was her doctor," Meredith interjected, trying to keep up with the details, but Arizona merely shrugged, "As the head of peds, I have ultimate say over her case. So that still makes me her doctor."

"Control freak," Cristina muttered, causing Amelia to snort.

"Hey now!" Callie said forcefully, coming to Arizona's defense. "What? It's true." Callie scoffed, "As if you're one to judge." Meredith snorted, shrugging toward Cristina, "She has a point."

"Anyway," continued Callie, grasping Arizona's hand under the table, "Only I'm allowed to call her that." Arizona was about to protest when Callie cut her off with a kiss, "And I love you for it."

Arizona rolled her eyes at the gooey display of affection, but grinned anyway, as Amelia asked, "So, how is the kid doing?" Arizona shrugged, "Vitals are strong, cognitive functions seem to be in tact, but she can't move her legs at all." Amelia shook her head in terse disappointment, "Damn it." She massaged her temples briefly, "I mean, it was predictable, but still. It sucks."

"Yeah," Arizona added sadly, "Plus her dad's still in a coma." She paused, sighing in frustration, "She's just all alone. She has no one."

Callie rubbed her wife's back gently, understanding a bit more of Arizona's seemingly unusual preoccupation with this child, "Well, she has you."


	5. Chapter 4

"How are you doing, Riley?" Arizona said cheerfully as she entered the young girl's room. Riley just laid on her bed, motionlessly staring out the window at the thick clouds. Ignoring her lack of response, Arizona reached over and grabbed her chart, "Well, it seems like you're healing well—"

"Oh, so I'll start walking soon?" Riley snapped sarcastically, before rolling her eyes and continuing to gaze out at the dreary sky. Arizona sat down on the bed next to her. It had been nearly a week since she'd woken up and Riley had been like this the whole time. At least she was talking now. "You have your first day of physical therapy today," Arizona stated, her voice upbeat but calm, "It's not walking, but it's a chance to get out of this bed, teach your body how to move."

"I don't want to go," Riley grumbled, crossing her arms tightly over her chest and scowling at her lap. Arizona chuckled, "I understand that, believe me, I understand." Placing a hand gently on Riley's shoulder, she continued, "It won't be fun, but it's important."

Still getting now response, Arizona decided to try a different tactic, "You know, we in the peds ward have an excellent on demand Disney movie collection. You can access up to twenty movies with just this remote! _Finding Nemo_ , _The Lion King_ , _The Little Mermaid_ , _Hercules._ And if you have any favorites that aren't on there, just let me know, because I can probably order it—"

"Disney movies are stupid. How old do I look? Six?" Riley snarled, sticking Arizona with the meanest glare she could muster. Pursing her lips, Arizona persisted, "Well Riley, tell me. What do you like to do?"

Riley scoffed, "I like to play basketball." She tried to maintain her scowl but Arizona swore she could detect the girl's lower lip quivering, almost indiscernibly, but present none the less.

Arizona stood, deciding it was probably best to give the girl some space and try again later, "I'll let you get some rest before PT." She paused for a moment, waiting to see if Riley had anything else to say, but when she didn't get an answer, turned calmly and exited the room. When Riley heard her footsteps fade down the hall, she turned her face into her pillow and let her tears fall.

* * *

"Well, that was intense," said Callie as she sat next to her wife on their couch, a laptop sitting open in her lap. They had just finished watching some required training videos for the foster licensing process. One in particular pertained to taking in children from abusive homes and how to help them cope with that trauma.

"Yeah," sighed Arizona, "It's just heartbreaking what some kids have to go through." She snuggled up against her wife as they set the laptop down on the coffee table. Callie exhaled slowly, "Do you think we could handle that? I mean, we're both surgeons and we already have a kid—"

"I do," Arizona stated firmly, "I think we can handle anything. Don't you?" Callie gave her a skeptical look; this wasn't just anything, and she wanted to be realistic about the energy involved. Sensing her hesitancy, Arizona went on, "Calliope, I know it would be difficult. But these kids need homes, and someone has to provide them. We're looking to have another child, why not us?"

Callie shrugged, "I guess you're right. It just makes me nervous, that's all." Arizona nodded in understanding and exhaled slowly, "Me too."

Hearing some feet pattering down the hall, the pair looked up to see their daughter bouncing into the room, "Are you done with your videos yet? Is it time for _Cupcake Wars_?" Callie looked to her wife, "I think it's about time we take a break for the night." Arizona nodded adamantly, scooting over to the edge of the sofa and patting the spot between her and Callie for their daughter to sit.

"Where did we leave off, m'ija?" Callie asked her daughter, scrolling through the Netflix menu. Sofia answered eagerly, "It was the one where they were baking for the monster truck rally." Callie laughed heartily, "Of course, how could I forget?"

"What videos have you two been watching out here anyway?" Sofia asked, looking back and forth between her mothers as they exchanged looks. Arizona raised her eyebrows, silently asking her wife if now was the time to tell their daughter. Callie pondered for a moment, but eventually nodded. They liked to be as honest with Sofia as possible, and if this was something they were serious about, they needed to start preparing their daughter for the possibility of a foster sibling.

"Well, bug," Arizona began carefully, "You're Mami and I are working on becoming licensed foster parents." A perplexed look crossed Sofia's face, "So, like, is that when you take in another kid? Like an orphan?"

"Sometimes an orphan, sometimes a child whose parents can't take care of them. It can be temporary or permanent," Arizona continued calmly. Sofia squinted her eyes, still wrapping her head around it, "Why don't you guys just have another baby?" Callie and Arizona both exchanged a look of mild horror, before Sofia continued with a laugh, "I mean, I know that the two of you can't _make_ a baby. Geez, moms. I'm not an idiot."

Callie let out a sigh of relief, "Had us fooled for a second there, m'ija." Playfully flicking her Mami's arm, Sofia continued, "I just meant, aren't there ways that you could still have a baby? Like adopting a baby or IVF?"

"Neither of us has a uterus that's ideally equipped for IVF right now," Callie supplied matter-of-factly. "And we still might adopt a baby. But that could take a long time, and we wanted the option to take in a child sooner."

Sofia nodded, "I guess that makes sense." Arizona rubbed a hand on her back, "How do you feel about this, bug?" she asked gently. Sofia shrugged, "I don't know. It's fine, I guess. It's just a little weird." Callie nodded, "That's okay. Just let us know how you're feeling, okay?"

Sofia thought for a moment, before responding, "I feel like it's time to watch _Cupcake Wars_."

Arizona chuckled, pulling Sofia close to her as she leaned back into the sofa, "You got it. What are you waiting for, Calliope? Press play!"

* * *

The next day, Riley was still laying sullenly in her bed—her physical therapy appointment had been an hour ago, but she had refused to go. When she saw a perky blonde doctor walking toward her room, she groaned. She was not in the mood for a pep talk about how everything was going to get better and she just needed to hang in there and go to her PT, which Riley was pretty sure was exactly what Dr. Robbins had in mind.

But she was surprised with Arizona walked in carrying a small toy basketball hoop that she proceeded to hang on the bathroom door, basically a straight shot from her bed. Handing Riley a foam ball, she commanded, "Go ahead. Take a shot."

Riley looked at the doctor, perplexed and annoyed. She grabbed the ball and hurled it at the hoop. When she missed by several feet, she sighed, "Well, game over."

"Nope," Arizona contradicted, handing her another ball. Reluctantly, Riley tossed that one up at the hoop, aiming it closer this time, but still missing significantly. Immediately, Arizona handed her a third ball, which she tossed up; this one bouncing off the rim and rolling back, landing next to the bed.

"How many of those do you got?" Riley challenged. Arizona shrugged nonchalantly, "Just those three." Rolling her eyes, Riley crossed her arms back over her chest and slumped back onto her bed, "Well, game over, then. I'm stuck in this bed. In case you've forgotten, I can't exactly _get up_ to go get them."

To Riley's surprise, Arizona didn't seem disheartened, but rather gave her a mischievous grin, "That was only the first part of the game." From her pocket, she pulled out a sticky hand, the kind that you could fling and splatter against the wall before pulling it back towards you. Aiming at the ball in the farthest corner of the room, Arizona flung the sticky hand toward it and, after a couple of tries, managed to roll it toward the bed. Then, from her sleeve, she extended dinosaur head on the end of a pole, with a handle at the opposite end of the pole to control its mouth. Reaching it out toward the ground, she grasped the ball in the dinosaurs jaws and brought it up, gently depositing it on the bed in front of Riley.

Handing the young girl the gummy hand and dinosaur claw, she instructed, "You try the next one." Hesitating momentarily, Riley grabbed the toys, "I mean, it's not like I have anything else to do here," she grumbled, but Arizona could tell she was trying to hide her enthusiasm. Letting her maintain the façade, she stood from the bed, "Of course. I'll leave you to it." She was almost at the door, when she turned back toward Riley and casually suggested, "So, you'll try PT tomorrow?"

Riley was engrossed in coaxing the ball over to her with the gummy hand by this point, and wasn't about to break her focus. But she managed a noncommittal, "I'll think about it." Arizona nodded, "Cool. I'll come by tomorrow then."

As she exited the room, Arizona practically slammed into Alex, who was eavesdropping from the hall. He looked at her in awe, "How did you do that?"

Arizona smiled cockily, "I'm awesome," she told her protégé, swaggering down the hall.

* * *

" _Seriously? The Dixie Chicks?" Timothy whined in annoyance as Arizona passed her CD forward to her mother to put into the car stereo player. The family had been driving for several hours that day alone, and it was customary to trade off selecting music on their family "road trips." Fourteen year old Arizona rolled her eyes dramatically in response to her younger brother's complaint, "Shut up! I just listened through the whole Lion King soundtrack twice, so you can just—"_

" _Arizona, don't tell your brother to shut up, please. And I thought you liked the Lion King?" her mother asked genuinely from the front seat as she opened the jewel case and carefully removed the CD her daughter had handed her. With a scoff of annoyance, Arizona responded sarcastically, "Yeah, like a year ago. I'm not a kid anymore."_

 _Now it was Timothy's turn to laugh sarcastically, "Oh, don't act like you're too cool for the Lion King when you're listening to country music. Seriously, no one likes country music. It's so stupid—"_

" _Not any country, the Dixie Chicks. They're really cool. And will you be quiet? I'm trying to listen!" Arizona snapped back, glaring maliciously at her brother._

 _Plugging his ears dramatically, Timothy mumbled bitterly, "Seriously, the only good thing about moving again was getting away from the country music on every radio station, and now we're still—"_

" _Not quiet enough, you stupid—"_

" _Quiet!" the Colonel shouted from the driver's seat, causing the two blondes in the back seat to cease talking instantly. With an impatient huff, their father continued, "Now, we will finish this ride with no music at all if the two of you don't stop this childish—"_

" _Daniel," Barbara whispered placatingly. He sighed and took a deep breath as his wife continued, "I think it's about time for a rest stop. We've been in this car for too long, and it seems like everyone's a bit cranky and could use a break. This is supposed to be a fun road trip—"_

" _It's not a road trip. It's a permanent change of station, and it sucks. So, stop trying to make it sound fun," Timothy grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. The Colonel shot him a warning look through the rear view mirror, but Barbara placed a hand gently on his arm, "Daniel, it's okay."_

 _Turning around in her seat, Barbara faced her son, looking at him sympathetically, "Bug, I know you're disappointed to be moving again so soon. You made some friends and you're sad to leave them." Timothy looked out the window, and Arizona shifted guiltily as she saw tears swimming in his eyes through window reflection. This PCS couldn't have come sooner for her; she had just finished a hellish middle school experience and was more than ready to begin high school with a fresh start. However, she was aware that for her brother, this was one of the hardest ones yet. For the first time, there had been boys his age living on their military base, and he had made some close friends. Barbara continued gently, "But you always have me, and your father and your sister. So, why don't we try to enjoy this time as a family?"_

 _Timothy shrugged begrudgingly, "Whatever." With a sigh, Barbara turned back to face forward, "How about pulling into that next rest stop Daniel?" The Colonel, while usually averse to taking too many stops that would slow down their progress, nodded calmly, turning on his blinker to prepare to change lanes as "Wide Open Spaces" began to play over the car speakers._

* * *

Arizona and Amelia stood in the kitchen with Sofia and Zola, frosting the cupcakes for Zola's Harry Potter themed birthday party. With red, yellow, blue, and green frosting, they were designing the cupcakes to represent each of the four Hogwarts houses. It had been Sofia's idea, a fact she was intent on reminding them of frequently.

"Where on earth are Meredith, Cristina, and Callie?" Amelia asked in annoyance as she lopped some green frosting onto a chocolate cupcake, "Weren't they supposed to be here to help by now?"

"They're surgeons," Zola stated with a shrug and Sofia nodded casually in agreement, eliciting a chuckle from Arizona, who exchanged a look with Amelia. She didn't know whether to be proud that the children seemed to understand their profession so well, or sad that they'd become so accustomed to tardiness and canceled plans from their caregivers.

"Slytherins, all of them! Am I right?" Amelia asked with a smirk, raising her right eyebrow. Both girls giggled, but Sofia shook her head, "I think Mami's a Gryffindor."

"Oh, is she?" responded Amelia playfully, looking up to meet Arizona's eyes, "A bit scandalous to be shacking up with she-who-must-not-be-named then, isn't it?" A look of confusion crossed Sofia's face, looking from Amelia to Arizona, "I don't get it."

"Oh, really?" Amelia beamed, eyes lighting up with glee, "Your Momma never told you the nickname the residents dubbed her with at Hopkins?" Sofia shook her head while Arizona rolled her eyes, "Amelia—"

"Tell me, Aunt Amelia!" Sofia pleaded enthusiastically, jumping up and down by the kitchen counter. Zola had also paused frosting her cupcake to listen to her Aunt's story. Smiling mischievously, Amelia continued, "When your Momma was Chief Resident at Hopkins, the younger residents were so scared of her that they would refer to her as she-who-must-not-be-named. The brave ones called her Lord Voldemort." Amelia finished with a wink.

"Is that true, Momma?" Zola cried through her giggles, to which Arizona reluctantly nodded. "Why were they scared of you? You aren't scary!" Sofia protested, laughing with bewilderment. "She was as a resident. A full on horror show," Amelia continued, seeing Arizona mouth "Filter!" from across the table before turning to Sofia.

"Bug, we've talked about how sometimes when women are strong and assertive, people think they're mean or scary, right?" Arizona explained patiently, and Sofia nodded with understanding. "I mean, sometimes women _can actually_ be scary control freaks." Amelia added jokingly, causing Arizona to playfully fling a dollop of frosting in her direction, to the gleeful giggles of the two younger girls.

"What's all the laughing about in here?" Callie and Meredith had just arrived, bringing with them a couple bags of food and decorations from Party City. Callie set them down on the table, planting a quick kiss on Arizona's lips before beginning to arrange a veggie platter they had purchased on a plate.

"Zola, why don't you and Sofia start putting up those decorations in the living room?" Meredith instructed, seeing that the cupcakes were basically finished. Excitedly grabbing the bag from her mother's arms, the pair dashed into the living room to begin decorating the walls with streamers and Hogwarts flags. Turning to Callie and Arizona, Meredith asked, "Zola wanted Sofia to sleep over tonight. Is that okay with you two?"

"Well, we have the social worker coming by tomorrow morning for the home visit," Arizona stated. Callie raised her eyebrows that information, looking over to her wife, "Does Sofia need to be there for that?" Callie asked. Arizona shrugged hesitantly, "I think it's probably a good idea."

"I can bring her by tomorrow morning on my way in," Meredith provided. Arizona smiled appreciatively, "Thanks Meredith. That makes things easy. Then we can spend time in the morning cleaning."

"Or we can do other things," Callie mumbled seductively, laying her hands on Arizona's hips. Her wife giggled, but shifted out of her grasp, "Calliope, we have so much to do before she comes—"

"Okay, have you read the requirements? They just want to make sure we have a house that's inhabitable for humans, and that we aren't planning on shoving the kid in the cupboard under the stairs."

Arizona sighed, "Yes, but we still need to make a good impression." Rolling her eyes, Callie relented, "Fine. We'll clean tomorrow. But only because you're such a control freak." Callie swatted her wife's bottom playfully, causing Arizona to blush with embarrassment as Amelia snickered in the corner.

* * *

When she arrived at the hospital the following afternoon, Arizona was in an excellent mood. The home visit had gone smoothly, and the social worker had told them that her that she and Callie should be officially approved as foster parents within the week. On top of that, they even had enough time to have lunch as a family before work. Smiling to herself, Arizona was planning on catching up on some charting before her appie that afternoon. However, before she reached her office, she was startled by a scream from a familiar voice. Turning on her heel, she rushed down the hall, following the noise into Riley's room.

Walking forcefully into the hospital room, Arizona was horrified to see Riley laying on the ground in tears, "What happened?" she hissed at the resident who was kneeling next to her.

"I left her here for three minutes and she was on the floor. She tried to move by herself, even though I told her not too," he stammered defensively. Arizona sighed in frustration, "Go get another resident or doctor to help you lift her. I don't want anyone injured." Riley wasn't a big kid, but she was tall for her age. Arizona would have helped lift her, but with her prosthesis, she was worried about her balance. Especially with this idiot resident for a partner.

After the resident left, Arizona carefully lowered herself to the floor so that she was sitting next to the Riley, who was sobbing into her hands, "I know it's hard, Riley, but you really need too let us help you move, at least—"

"You don't know," Riley snarled, glaring at Arizona through angry tears. "I can't _walk_. I literally can't even go to the bathroom by myself. You don't know what that's like." Arizona inhaled deeply, meeting Riley's gaze. Slowly, she reached forward and pulled back her pant leg, revealing her prosthetic, "I lost my leg. More than five years ago now. And I was scared and in pain, and for a while, I couldn't do anything for myself, not even go to the bathroom." Arizona swallowed, revisiting that particularly painful memory, but continued to look at Riley, "But I got better. I got stronger, and I learned to do things with only one leg. Now, there's very little I can't do."

Riley shook her head, "But I'll never be able to walk again." Arizona nodded, "That's probably true, Riley. And that sucks, and I'm so sorry. But you will learn to do things for yourself. Many people in wheelchairs live very independent lives. It won't always be this hard."

Riley was silent for several moments as the two of them just waited on the floor for the resident to return with his companion. After a few moments, Riley finally spoke again, her voice thick and desperate, "I want to see my dad."

She looked up at Arizona, pleading blue eyes filled with giant tears. "No one will take me to see him. That's where I was trying to get too." Arizona bit her lip, nodding vehemently as she took Riley's hand in hers, pushing aside a lock of her dark blonde hair, "Let's go see your dad, then."


	6. Chapter 5

"What are all the machines?" Riley asked Arizona as she looked up at her dad where he was laying on his bed, still and quiet midst the chorus or whirring and beeping that surrounded him. His body was badly bruised, and there were several machines and monitors attached to him with tubes and wires. Arizona replied as calmly and simply as she could, "There are machines that are keeping track of how his organs are working, measuring his pulse, his kidney function, the activity in his brain. The tube in his mouth is breathing for him because he can't breath on his own right now."

Riley nodded silently, wrapping her arms tightly around herself and looking down at her lap. She mumbled quietly, "When will he wake up?"

Arizona pulled up a chair and sat down next to the girl, leaning in close and speaking to her gently, "We don't know. It could be a day, or a week, or a month. Or he could never wake up."

Riley bit her lower lip as Arizona continued, "The longer he stays in a coma, the less likely it is that he will wake up. But we are monitoring him closely, and we are doing everything we can to take care of him." The young girl looked up at the doctor, her lower lip trembling, "Do you think he's going to die?" she asked shakily, barely above a whisper. Arizona forced herself not to look away, not to flinch away from the difficult truth as she answered the question, "I don't know. I think he might. I hope he doesn't."

Riley took one last scared look up at her father lying on the bed, motionless except for the rise and fall of his chest with the ventilator, before turning back to Arizona, "Can we go now?" Arizona nodded, standing up and slowly wheeling the girl from the room.

* * *

" _I don't know why we're here," Arizona grumbled, arms crossed over her chest tightly as she looked up at Nick, "You know, I had to take an entire day off work, which is basically unheard of in the fifth year of a surgical residency, especially as chief resident. And I have boards coming up in a month, and I'm way behind on studying. And now you're insisting that I stand here and stare at the ground."_

" _It's your brother's grave," Nick insisted gently, "You needed to come here, to visit." They were standing in Arlington in mid-march, bundled in winter coats as they stood before Timothy's headstone. "I was already here, for the funeral. You were there, so you know that. I don't see why had to come back," Arizona responded curtly, eyes fixed directly in front of her, staring out at the rows and rows of headstones. Far too many, so much loss._

" _His headstone wasn't here yet—"_

" _I don't care about a stupid rock with his name on it!"_

" _Tucson, he's your brother," Nick pleaded sympathetically. Truth was, he had been worried about her. After Timothy's funeral, she had thrown herself into her work, as if none of this nightmare had ever happened. He'd been sleeping on her couch for over a month now. She had told him to go home many times, but he knew she didn't mean it. He heard her sob in her sleep whenever she got home from whatever long shift she had been working at the hospital. But she didn't talk to him. She didn't talk to anyone. She wasn't dealing with it._

" _So, what am I supposed to do?" Arizona asked bitterly, still refusing to look at her friend. Nick shrugged, placing a hand supportively on her shoulder, "Just talk to him."_

" _He's not there," she snapped coldly. "He's dead. And you know I don't believe in this crap about dead people just watching us from heaven or whatever. He's dead. He's not here, so he can't hear me." She bit her lip, and swallowed the lump in her throat, refusing to cry about this anymore. Not here, not now._

" _Then pretend he's here," Nick suggested, squeezing her shoulder firmly. "Please, Flagstaff. Do it for me. I think it might help."_

 _Arizona looked up at him, about to ream him with how she didn't see how talking to a corpse in a box six feet underground would be the least bit helpful, but his face, filled with concern and his eyes filled with tears, stopped her. Biting her lip, she nodded, "But only for you," she mumbled stubbornly. Leaning over and kissing the top of her head, Nick whispered, "I'll give you some time."_

 _As he walked away, Arizona collected her thoughts, breathing steadily in and out as she finally forced herself to bring her eyes down to read his headstone._

 _Timothy Michael Robbins_

 _June 8, 1980 – February 17, 2003_

 _Beloved Son and Brother_

 _She looked away from it, her eyes filling instantly with tears. Admonishing herself for this emotional reaction, she inhaled sharply. After few quiet moments, she muttered, "Hey Timothy." She waited, listening to the silence; she hadn't realized until that moment that a small part of her actually believed that he might respond._

" _This is stupid. You're dead," she scoffed, looking up at the sky, the familiar twinge of guilt rising in the back of her throat once more. The guilt that suggested saying it out loud somehow made it more real, that her words were killing him over and over again. She waited again, and once again heard only silence, the wind blowing coldly into her ears. She felt the tears building in her eyes as she looked back to the headstone, "I miss you, Timothy. I miss you so much."_

 _Knowing she would not receive a response this time, she wiped her tears from her eyes with her gloved hand. She didn't believe he would respond, but she sure did wish he would._

* * *

"I thought I heard music coming from down the hall," Arizona smiled as she entered Riley's room, where the young girl was sitting playing a guitar. "Yeah," Riley grinned, "My social worker managed to get some things from my house. It's okay if I play here?" she asked cautiously, praying that Arizona wouldn't say no.

"Sure!" exclaimed Arizona, pleased that the young girl would have something else to do. She'd been here several weeks now, and the toy basketball hoop could only entertain her for so long. "Just during the day though. I want everyone to be able to get all the sleep they need. _Including you_ ," Arizona advised, her voice somehow playful and stern at the same time. Riley nodded, "Alright. That's fair."

"You know," continued Arizona, as she stood to check Riley's vitals and wound sites, "'Wide Open Spaces' is one of my favorite songs." Riley's eyes lit up with excitement, forgetting momentarily that she wasn't supposed to let on that she cared, "You know the Dixie Chicks?" she beamed, and Arizona nodded enthusiastically, pleased that the young girl seemed to be almost cheerful today. "Love them. They've been some of my favorites since just before I started high school."

Riley nodded, "They were really popular at my school back in Texas. My dad and I used to live there, before we moved up here a few years ago. I barely meet anyone around here who likes country music." Arizona agreed with a knowing hum, "I spent some time Texas, when I was just a little older than you. I was a military brat, so we moved around a lot. You're right. No one likes the Dixie Chicks here; Calliope and Sofia can't stand country music."

Riley raised her eyebrows, "Who are they?" she asked curiously. Arizona responded proudly, "Calliope is my wife, and Sofia is our daughter. She's just a little younger than you." Riley looked slightly confused, "You have a wife?"

"I do. We've been married for almost ten years now," Arizona stated, a confident grin crossing her face. While she was sometimes nervous about revealing her sexual orientation to patients, ever since a homophobic parent decided not to let her treat his child, it was something she refused to hide on principle. And judging by the smile on Riley's face, it didn't seem like she had a problem with it, even coming from Texas.

"That's pretty cool," she muttered, and Arizona smiled, "Yeah, I think so too." Making a quick note on Riley's chart, she placed it back on the edge of the bed, "Well, everything is looking great. PT going well?" Riley tilted her head to the side, responding neutrally, "It's hard, but I'm getting better. Dr. Hanson thinks I'll be able to transfer on my own soon."

"That's terrific. It's sounds like you're making incredible progress. You should be proud of yourself," Arizona said sincerely. Shrugging her shoulders awkwardly, Riley muttered, "Thanks."

"Well, I have a surgery that I need to prep for, so I'll leave you to your guitar. Oh," Arizona leaned in to whisper to Riley, "Make sure to serenade Dr. Karev when he comes by on his evening rounds. He might act scowly, but trust me. He likes it."

Riley giggled, "I know he does."

* * *

"So, we've got our hat, our mittens, our long underwear," Callie went through the checklist as she and Sofia packed for their camping trip the following night. Sofia crinkled her nose, "I don't like long underwear. It itches." Callie nodded knowingly, "I hear that. But trust me, it gets cold at night, and you're going to want to wear it anyway." Her daughter shrugged, still skeptical, "If you say so, Mami."

Just as they finished going through the checklist, and began stuffing their belongings into backpacks, Arizona entered the room, holding two bright red sleeping bags. "Pulled these out of the garage. It's been ages since anyone used them—might've been when you're Uncle Tim and Nick went to Yosemite after graduating from college." Plopping them down in front of Callie and Sofia, Arizona muttered, "So, good luck with that."

"I want to use Uncle Timothy's sleeping bag!" Sofia stated, smiling at up at her mother, a smile that Arizona couldn't help return, "Well, they're both the same. But I'm sure that Uncle Timothy has slept in both of them at some point, so you should be set." Sofia nodded with satisfaction, grasping a sleeping bag and securing it to her backpack with one of the hitches she'd been practicing.

Arizona beamed at her girls, with just a hint of sadness in her eyes. She had chosen not to accompany them on this camping trip because the woods still triggered her PTSD from the plane crash. She knew it was the right decision, yet she couldn't help feeling a tad bit left out. Still, it would be good for them; Callie could get some special bonding time with Sofia and she would get the house to herself for the weekend, an admittedly rare occurrence. "You're both going to have such a great time!" Arizona said cheerfully as she knelt down and helped them finish packing.

"We're gonna eat s'mores!" Sofia exclaimed, hardly able to contain her excitement. Arizona gasped, "S'mores! I'm so jealous. You know I love s'mores."

"You know," said Callie nonchalantly, "We have a _lot_ of s'mores materials. It's gonna be a lot to carry. What do you say we lighten our load by making some s'mores now?" Sofia's eyes widened, her exuberance practically overflowing, "Really? We can make them _here_?"

Callie gasped in feigned disappointment as she pulled the marshmallows out of the grocery bag, along with a couple of wire clothes hangers, "How have you not made stovetop s'mores before? Seriously, have they taught you anything in Girl Scouts?"

Arizona laughed as she took a wire hanger from Callie, beginning to unravel it to make a skewer. Catching her wife's eye, she mouthed, "Thank you." It meant the world to her to be able to share this with her wife and daughter. Callie leaned over and kissed her on the cheek, before gently sliding a marshmallow onto her skewer.

* * *

"Wait, so tell me again why you aren't going camping with your wife and kid?" Alex asked Arizona as ate their cafeteria lasagna. She rolled her eyes, "You think I'd leave you alone with the tiny humans? With no cell reception? In your dreams, dude." Karev sneered at her, while she continued, "But seriously, you better have it covered, because I'm on-call tonight, and it's the first time I've had the house to myself in probably a year and I intend on enjoying it."

Alex shrugged, "Should be a quiet night," he muttered casually, almost choking on his food when Arizona slugged him in the arm, "Hey! What was that for?"

"Have I taught you _nothing_? The minute you _say_ it's gonna be a quiet night, a million traumas come bursting through the front doors!" Arizona exclaimed in frustration, giving a humorless laugh, "I can practically _hear_ the appendixes bursting now. So much for a chill night in."

Alex rolled his eyes, "Oh, quit it. I just meant we have a lot of discharges. Marty McFly, the Gobbler, Wheelies—"

"What did you say?" Arizona interjected, to which Alex responded with a hesitant sigh, "Look, I know you hate the nicknames, but the kids think they're funny. I swear—"

"No, I meant, you're discharging Riley?" Arizona asked in panic, shaking her head, "You can't do that; she's not ready."

"She's been here for nearly six weeks. Her incision practically healed, her vitals are strong, she's even starting to transfer on her own. Medically, there's no reason for her to be here. Hell, if that social worker wasn't so intent on keeping her in the hospital to be with her dad, she would have been transferred to a rehabilitation facility off site a month ago," Alex explained, confusion at his mentor's reluctance apparent on his face. Arizona sighed, a heartbroken expression appearing on her face, "Her dad's still in a coma. She has no where to go."

Alex shrugged sympathetically, "It's a shitty situation, but there's nothing we can do about that." But Arizona shook her head, "It's almost impossible to find placements for disabled kids. I mean, so many homes aren't wheelchair accessible, not to mention the extra challenges of caring for a disabled kid that most foster parents are unwilling or unable to take on. I mean, we just can't discharge her yet. Why do you think the social worker has been pushing so hard to keep her here for rehab?"

"Look," said Alex firmly, "You don't have to tell me how awful the foster system can be. I feel for the kid. But I just don't think there's much we can do. You know as well as I do that we need the bed."

Arizona nodded defeatedly, resting her chin against her fist as she leaned her elbow on the table, "I guess so."

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for reading and for all your reviews! The section about Callie and Sofia's camping trip complements my story _Hard Way Home_ , if you're interested in reading more. Hopefully, I'll be able to post a couple more chapters this weekend! **


	7. Chapter 6

" _So, what do you think? Mushroom and pepperoni?" Callie asked her girlfriend as they snuggled on the couch. Arizona was just about to respond when her phone buzzed on the table. As she leaned forward to grab it, Callie stopped her, "Are you on call?" Arizona shook her head, and Callie responded with a teasing smile, "Then don't answer it."_

 _But Arizona shrugged Callie's arm off and reached forward, grabbing her phone and pressing the green call button to answer it, "Hello?" She looked apologetically at Callie as she continued talking, "Hey mom. What's up?" Callie looked over at Arizona in annoyance before pushing herself off the couch and walking into the kitchen, leaving Arizona glancing guiltily over at her as she finished up her phone conversation._

 _Once she had hung up, she headed over to where Callie was standing at the kitchen counter, casually asking, "So, one large mushroom and pepperoni pizza then? Do you want to order or should I?" But when Callie just stared at the counter, she knew that they wouldn't be dropping this so easily._

" _It was my mom," Arizona began in an attempt to appease, to which Callie sighed in frustration, "It always is, Arizona. If it's not the hospital, it's your mom, or the Colonel, and it's every single night." She looked up from the counter, the resentment evident on her face. Arizona was taken aback, and responded defensively, "What am I supposed to do? Not talk to my parents when they call?" Callie nodded, "When we're on a date—"_

" _Callie, this is hardly a date—"_

" _Oh, really? What is it then? I mean, we're not going out, but we're going to eat dinner together and probably have sex later, so that sounds like a date to me," Callie snapped, offended by Arizona's characterization of the evening. Sensing her girlfriend's hurt, Arizona took a deep breath and continued gently, "You're right, it's a date. But they're my parents, and I didn't think you minded."_

" _Well, I do mind," Callie snapped, feeling slightly silly for picking a fight over a three minute phone conversation, but it had been a long week and she just wanted her girlfriend to herself for once, "So, can you not pick up next time?" When Arizona didn't respond, hesitantly mulling over a tactful response, Callie huffed in frustration, crossing her arms tightly over her chest, "Really? You seriously can't just call them back later? You know, what kind of grown ass woman talks to her mother every day—"_

" _Hey!" Arizona exclaimed incredulously, "I'm close with my parents! What's wrong with that?"_

" _Nothing!" Callie shouted back; now, she felt really silly. She didn't know why this was so important to her, but when she looked up, Arizona starred back, her eyes pleading with her to understand, "Calliope, they worry when I don't pick up."_

 _Callie raised her eyebrows in disbelief, "Seriously? You're a surgeon—"_

" _They know my schedule, and when a surgery runs over, I have an intern answer my cell in the OR if they call me so they know I'm okay," Arizona responded, her cheeks blushing in embarrassment. A small grin cracked across Callie's face, "Wow, not the worst scut I've ever seen, but pretty impressive." Arizona smiled sheepishly and Callie continued, "But still, why do they have to know where you are at every second? You didn't strike me as having a freakishly sheltered childhood—"_

" _Timothy," Arizona stated flatly, her voice just above a whisper. Callie froze and Arizona continued, "Ever since… well, they just worry about me." Understanding washed over Callie's face. She knew that while Arizona's brother had died several years ago, his death was in many ways still fresh for her family. "I can talk to them…" Arizona began, but Callie shook her head, starring at her feet, a feeling of guilt at her pettiness rising to the surface. "Sorry," she mumbled, but Arizona took her hand, "You didn't know."_

 _Callie smirked, "Just not during sex. You can't answer during sex." Shock crossed Arizona's face, "Calliope! I've never answered during sex—"_

" _No, but it did ring that one time, and I could tell that you thought about it. And that's weird," Callie teased. Rolling her eyes, Arizona handed the phone in her hand to her girlfriend, "Why don't you just order the pizza?"_

* * *

"Mami, can we stop for lunch soon? I'm starving," Sofia whined. Callie sighed; this was the third time their daughter had asked this question. Their weekend in the woods had been a blast, but now, both of them were tired and ready to get home to a nice hot shower and a soft, warm bed. "Alright, m'ija. There's a Taco Bell up at this next stop. How does that sound?"

"Momma doesn't like it when we get fast food," Sofia stated seriously. Callie inhaled slowly, counting to ten to keep her irritation in check, "Well, Momma isn't here, and I thought you were hungry." With a disgruntled, "Yeah, okay," the young girl acquiesced to lunch at Taco Bell.

When they had gotten their food after a long line of travelers, they sat down at the plastic table with their tacos spread out before them. Callie pulled her phone and charger out of her bag, plugging it into the socket beside her. "I thought you said no phones while camping," Sofia grumbled as she unwrapped her crunchy taco and took a bite.

"Well, I'm pretty sure we're done camping for the weekend, so phones are no longer prohibited," Callie provided, a strained smile plastered on her face in an attempt to keep herself calm and avoid strangling her offspring. Sofia sighed smugly and responded with a mouthful of taco, "Whatever."

Callie was just about to yank her daughter outside and scold her for the tone she'd acquired, when her phone powered on. Her heart froze when she saw the screen, which read: "Arizona: 26 missed calls."

Trying to keep her panic in check, she immediately dialed her wife, who answered after only one ring, "Calliope."

"What happened? Are you okay?" Callie stammered, trying to stop her voice from shaking.

"I'm fine. Everyone's fine. I just needed to get a hold of you," Arizona responded a bit too calmly. A mixture of relief and anger flooded Callie as she responded to her wife, "Arizona, 26 calls?! You scared the hell out of me. And now you're saying that nothing's wrong? You've gotta tell me what's going on!"

There was a moment of silence on the other end before Arizona responded, "I didn't mean to scare you. It was just urgent. But I think we should discuss it when you get home." Callie huffed through her barely contained anger, her adrenaline still surging, "You really just can't tell me now? We're still over an hour away."

Arizona paused, as if carefully considering her next words, "It's not bad, Calliope. But it's big, and we should discuss it in person."

Callie shook her head, but realized she had lost, "Fine. We're on our way home. See you soon." Hanging up the phone, Callie turned to Sofia who was staring at her intently, clearly interested in this conversation. "Pack up those tacos for the road, we're heading home now."

* * *

"Arizona!" Callie called through the house as she entered from the front door, dropping her backpack at her feet as she rushed inside to find her wife. Though Arizona told her not to worry, she couldn't help but tense in anticipation as she searched the house for her wife. What on Earth could have been so urgent to call her cell 26 times?

"There you are!" Callie exclaimed, seeing her wife enter the living room as Sofia entered from the opposite direction, sleeping back slung under her arm, "Okay, now could you please tell what's going on? I swear, it scared me half to death when I saw—"

"Callie, please just stay calm okay," Arizona warned, but that statement achieved the opposite effect, "Geez, Arizona will you just spit it out? What's going on?" Callie cried, Sofia watching curiously from the corner.

Then, out of the corner of her eye, Callie sensed movement. She jumped as she swiveled around on her heel, finding herself facing a young girl, probably only a year or two older than Sofia, sitting in front of her in a wheelchair, her blonde hair tied back in a ponytail. Slowly, Callie turned back to Arizona, awaiting an explanation.

Arizona was clearly nervous, but had plastered a smile on her face as she spoke to her wife, "Callie, this is Riley. We're going to be fostering her for a while."

* * *

"Arizona, how you possibly think it was okay to take in a _child_ without telling me?" Callie screamed from the front seat of her car, barely able to look at her wife who was sitting beside her. After muttering a hesitant greeting to Riley, she had practically dragged Arizona out to their car under the guise that she wanted her to "take a look at the suspension." The two wondered if Sofia had figured out yet that they would fight in the car where she couldn't hear them, but hopefully if she had, she wouldn't mention it to Riley.

"Calliope, I'm sorry—" Arizona began, but Callie cut her off, unable to stop fuming, "I mean, really Arizona. You _knew_ I was hesitant to do the foster parent thing, but you wanted to and so I gave in, but had I known that you would pull a stunt like this—"

"She needed a place to go! What was I supposed to do?" Arizona challenged, to which Callie responded sarcastically, "Uh, gee. I don't know. Maybe _not_ take in a random kid while I'm away for the weekend?"

"She's not a random kid, Callie. She was on my peds ward—"

"I know! That almost makes it _worse_! God, do you have no boundaries?"

Arizona's jaw dropped at Callie's statement, "You have every right to be angry, but don't go questioning my ethics as a doctor!" Callie shook her head in disbelief, "Arizona, are you just gonna start just taking in strays now that we have a fostering license?"

"Strays? Really? And, Callie, no! God, do you really think that little of me?"

"Well, I didn't, but then you decided to invite a kid in your peds ward to come live with us without even _asking_ me—"

"I _tried_ to ask you. I called you _26 times_ this weekend! I couldn't get a hold of you and I had to make a decision—"

"Well, you made the wrong one," Callie snapped coldly, crossing her arms tightly over her chest and turning away from her wife, looking out the window. Arizona gripped the dashboard of the car tightly and closed her eyes, counting to ten as she breathed slowly in and out. When she finally opened her eyes, she began again, attempting to remain calm.

"I really am sorry, Callie. It's just… she was discharged and they were having trouble finding a placement. We did the training—you know the challenges of placing a disabled kid. They were going to put her in a group home, and she just looked so scared. And we have a home that's almost completely wheelchair accessible—we made sure of that in case anything prevents me from using my prosthetic or crutches to get around one day. And Calliope, she just lost the ability to walk, her father's in a coma; she puts on this tough front, but she's so terrified. And I just couldn't send her off to a group home."

Callie's anger softened as she slowly glanced over at her wife, "You still can't make a decision like this without asking me." Arizona sighed, "You're right. And I'm so sorry." She paused, taking in another deep breath.

"Do you want me to call CPS and tell them we can't foster her any more?" Arizona asked tentatively. Callie looked into her wife's big blue eyes that pleaded with her not to make her do that.

"I hate that you put me in this position. It's not fair," Callie stated, her voice calm but firm. Arizona looked away, blinking back tears, "I know it's not."

Callie pursed her lips tightly for a moment, before continuing, "How long is she going to stay?"

Arizona shrugged, answering carefully, "Hopefully her father wakes up without deficits and will be able to take care of her. That's the ideal situation for everyone." Callie nodded, but pressed further, "And if he doesn't?"

The tension in the car was palpable—both doctors knew that the man's chances of waking up with the physical and mental capacity to care for his daughter faded every day he was in a coma. Arizona shook her head, "I don't know."

She looked to Callie desperately, "Can she just stay for a while?"

Callie thought of the girl in her living room. As angry as she was, she also didn't have the heart to send her away, something Arizona probably knew when she agreed to foster her, "She can stay. But this isn't a permanent placement. You make sure that CPS is actively searching for alternative homes."

Arizona sighed with relief, "Thank you, Calliope." Callie nodded curtly; she was still upset but she knew she needed to put that aside for now—none of this was Riley's fault, and she didn't want the kid to feel unwelcome.

"I'm going to go take a shower, and maybe a nap. Will you explain this to Sofia?" Callie asked wearily, the exhaustion from this weekend setting in once again as the adrenaline faded. Arizona nodded, "I'll take care of Sofia."

Reaching over the consul, Arizona grasped her wife's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze before releasing it and opening her side door, "I love you."

Callie nodded as she opened her door. "Me too," she rasped as she shut her door, clicking the doors locked behind her as she trudged inside.

* * *

"They're fighting," Sofia stated, placing her hands firmly on her hips. Riley had been gazing off into space, but looked up when she heard Sofia's voice, "Huh?"

"They're fighting. They don't like me to hear them yelling at each other, so they'll make some dumb excuse to go out to the car and scream. They think I don't know," Sofia mumbled, rolling her eyes as she paced in front of Riley.

"So, you're gonna be living here for a while then?" she asked Riley pointedly, stopping in front of her wheelchair and looking down at her. Riley shrugged anxiously, "I guess." Sofia nodded, "How old are you?" she asked. "Ten," Riley answered. "I just turned nine," Sofia stated dejectedly; she had hoped she would be older.

After watching Sofia stand awkwardly in front of her for a moment, Riley began wheeling around her, "I'm gonna go play guitar." She wheeled out of the living room. When she'd almost reached the end of the hall to the spare bedroom she'd been staying in, Sofia yelled back at her, "They're fighting because of you. You know that, right?" Her voice was harsh as she glared down the hall at Riley.

"Yeah, I know," Riley responded curtly, feigning indifference as she slammed the door behind her without even looking back at Sofia, who was still standing frozen to her spot in the living room.


	8. Chapter 7

The dinner table was silent as the four sat around it, picking at their food. Arizona had made mac and cheese with broccoli—Sofia's favorite, and one of the few meals she knew how to prepare. Her daughter had barely said a word when she explained that Riley would be staying with them for a while. While not blatantly angry, it was clear that she wasn't thrilled with this change. Riley just stared at her plate, avoiding making eye contact with anyone.

Giving her wife a pleading look, Arizona gestured towards Riley with a tilt of her head. While Callie was still upset with Arizona for her lack of communication on this subject, she could see that Riley was scared, and it wasn't like she was heartless. Clearing her throat, she turned to Riley, smiling gently, "So, Riley. Why don't you tell me about yourself?"

Riley shrugged, not taking her eyes off her plate, "I don't know. I'm ten, I had just started 5th grade before…." She trailed off, pushing her macaroni around her plate. Callie looked to Arizona who nodded again, pushing her to keep asking. "So, what do you like to do for fun?"

Riley looked up at Callie, a subtle scowl crossing her face, "I play basketball. Or, I guess I don't anymore. Unless you count the toy hoop Dr. Robbins set up in my room."

"Riley, I told you. Call me Arizona now," Arizona stated gently, ignoring the way she challenged Callie. "And you can always look into adaptive basketball once you get used to the wheelchair."

"Whatever," Riley mumbled, returning her eyes to her plate. Callie, wavering somewhere between guilt at somehow directing the conversation toward Riley's wheelchair and annoyance at the girl's apathetic attitude, decided to make one final effort at conversation, "So, I heard you playing guitar earlier?"

Riley nodded, "Yeah." She stated flatly, not bothering to elaborate, but Callie grasped at the straw she'd been handed, "It sounded really good! The Dixie Chicks, right?"

Scratching her fork across her plate, Riley responded with irked confusion, "Arizona said you hate country music." Laughing nervously, Callie reluctantly admitted, "It's not my favorite, but I like it when you play it." Riley waited a moment to respond, carefully chewing the macaroni in her mouth before swallowing and responding with a terse, "Okay."

Callie shot her wife an exasperated glance and Arizona smiled apologetically. Turning her attention to Sofia, Arizona asked, "So, Sofia. Tell me about your camping trip." Sofia shrugged, "It was fun."

"What was your favorite part?" Arizona asked with an excited smile, hoping her enthusiasm would elicit a more positive response from her daughter. But unfortunately, her normally contagious smile just wasn't catching tonight and Sofia responded with a weary shrug, "I don't know. I caught a salamander. That was pretty cool."

"You did?!" exclaimed her mother, "Can I see it?"

Sofia looked at her mother as if she'd grown two heads. "I didn't bring it home. You hate it when I bring 'critters' into the house," Sofia snapped harshly, making air quotes with her hands to sarcastically parrot her mother's words back to her. Arizona's smile froze on her face awkwardly, before she finally responded, "Well, then. That was very considerate of you."

"I guess," Sofia mumbled. Pressing onward, Arizona continued, "Tell me more. I want to hear all about it."

"Momma, I'm tired," Sofia whined. Sensing that she wasn't going to get anywhere by pushing, Arizona conceded. "That's okay, bug. Why don't you clear your plate and get ready for bed? I'll be in to tuck you in soon."

"I'm not a baby, Momma," Sofia insisted as she got up from the table. "Fine," Arizona sighed patiently, "Then I'll just come by and say good night." Ignoring her mother's words, Sofia dropped her plate in the sink with a clatter and stalked off to her room, shutting the door forcefully behind her, leaving Callie, Arizona, and Riley sitting tensely at the kitchen table.

* * *

"She hates me," Callie mumbled into the dark as she lay in bed next to her wife. They had barely spoken to each other as they prepared for bed, only mumbling a brief good night before turning the light off. But neither was asleep, and now, in the darkness, Callie's anger had begun to fade and she was ready to talk.

Arizona turned over on her side, facing toward her wife. "Oh, Calliope," she whispered, her voice soothing and full of care, "She doesn't hate you. She's scared. She's testing you. She did the same thing to me."

Callie shrugged, "Maybe. But what if I fail her test and she keeps hating me? Arizona, we can't adopt a kid that hates me—"

"Hey, hey," Arizona whispered, gently placing a hand on the top of her wife's head, running her fingers through her hair as she laid her head atop Callie's chest, "Slow down. First, we don't need to talk about adoption yet. At this point, this is only a temporary placement. Her father is still alive, after all. And second, it's been one night. Give it time. Because I think she's gonna love you."

"You do?" Callie whispered, tears hovering on the brim of her eyes, and Arizona gave her one of her super magic smiles, "I do. Calliope, who wouldn't love you?"

Callie sighed, wiping the tears from her eyes and taking Arizona's hand in hers. "I understand why you took her in. I mean, I'm still mad. I'm planning on being pretty freakin' pissed about if for a while, actually. And you can _never_ do something like this again but… but I get it." Arizona nodded, whispering, "Thank you. But I'm still sorry. And I won't do it again. I promise."

Bringing Arizona's hand to hers and kissing it, Callie whispered, "Do you really think we can do this?" Arizona nodded confidently, "I think we can do anything."

* * *

" _Okay, so what if we move Meredith and Derek over to table nine?" Arizona suggested, moving two of the pins on the table over to the opposite end of seating chart they were working with, but Callie shook her head, "I told you, Meredith and Cristina have to sit together."_

 _Arizona squinted skeptically, "It's just for one night, Callie. I mean, what are they going to do?" Callie laughed heartily, "They're going to ignore the seating chart and sit together if we don't put them together. They might just ignore it anyway. Arizona, why don't we just have open seating? It's so much easier—"_

" _We need to make sure that everyone gets along!" Arizona protested, "We can't just have anyone sitting wherever. This is an event with both our families and half the hospital and a fair amount of alcohol. We need to have some control—"_

" _Arizona, listen to yourself! I know you're a bit of a control freak, which I say with love, but honey we can't possibly control it all. Not to mention with the number of surgeons we invited, half of them probably won't even show up," Callie insisted, crossing her hands over her chest._

 _Resting her head in her left hand, Arizona tilted her head to face her fiancé, "Calliope, this is our wedding. It's important." Her eyes pleaded with Callie, who softened, uncrossing her arms and taking Arizona's right hand in both of hers, bringing it toward her and massaging it gently._

" _Okay, let's move Meredith and Derek to our table then. I mean, I know it will be a little weird because we don't know them that well, but then Cristina can sit with us, and Meredith can sit with Lexie who can sit with Mark," Callie suggested, moving the pins around. Arizona shook her head, "There isn't room for both of them."_

" _What are you talking about? Sure there is!" Callie responded, counting the people off on her fingers, but Arizona continued to protest, "No, with us, both of our parents, your sister—"_

" _Oh, Aria's not coming," Callie stated, casually folding her hands in her lap. Arizona stopped, her face dropping as she turned toward her fiancé, "Calliope…"_

" _It's not a big deal. Her kid's in a play that weekend; she sends her best though," Callie continued casually, but Arizona shook her head, "It is a big deal! Calliope, your sister should be at your wedding."_

" _Well, she's not going to be. And I mean, I get it. She can't really miss Julia's play, she's one of the orphans in_ Annie. _Big deal for a seven year old." But Arizona just shook her head, "Callie, don't you want her there? I mean, should we reschedule?"_

" _No! Arizona, we already sent out invitations. And she would just find another excuse. Look, we're not that close, she doesn't need to be there—"_

" _She's your sister," Arizona insisted, reaching out to grasp her partner's hand, but Callie yanked it away, more aggressively than intended, "Look, Arizona. I told you it's not a big deal! My sister's not coming to my wedding. Can you just drop it?"_

 _Arizona flinched at the aggressiveness in her fiancé's voice, looking down at the seating chart and trying to hide her hurt. Taking a deep breath, Callie looked over at her partner in shame. She knew she had overreacted. "I didn't mean to snap. I'm sorry."_

 _Shaking her head gently, Arizona forced a small smile, "I shouldn't have pushed you." She whispered without quite meeting Callie's gaze. Callie put her head in her hands, wincing at Arizona's guarded response. Her fiancé was more sensitive than she liked to let on._

" _Look, I know you don't understand this, but I'm just not that close to my sister. So she's not coming to our wedding, and I'm okay with that," Callie provided, cautiously reaching her hand out and laying it on Arizona's shoulder._

" _Are you really okay with it?" Arizona asked tentatively, her eyes still focused on the seating chart in front of them. Callie sighed, "I'm really trying to be, because it's not going to change."_

 _Arizona nodded sadly, tears welling up in her eyes once more as she finally looked up to meet Callie's gaze, "I really wish Timothy could be there." Callie's heart broke as she pulled her fiancé toward her chest, rubbing her back gently, "I do too."_

* * *

"Wait, I don't get it. You're parents just took in another kid? Just out of nowhere?" Zola asked Sofia in bewilderment as they hopped off the school bus across the street from the hospital and made their way inside. They either had to hang out at their school's daycare program until their parents got off work, or they could take the school bus to the hospital and do their homework in the cafeteria—they just had to be sure and text one of their parents first to let them know where they would be.

"Yeah! I mean, they had just completed the foster licensing thing. But I figured they'd at least tell me before just bringing a random kid from the hospital home to live with us," Sofia fumed, grasping onto the straps of her backpack tightly as they waited to cross the street. Zola's face filled with even more shock, "So, she was at the hospital? Like one of their patients?" Sofia nodded in satisfaction. As upsetting as this situation was for her, she did enjoy sharing the juicy details with her enthralled friend.

"Mmmhmmmm. One of Momma's peds kids. I guess she was gonna be discharged and Momma didn't want her to have to go to a group home because she's in a wheelchair, so she just took her in. Didn't even tell Mami until we got home from camping," Sofia provided, crossing the street as the signal changed with Zola following on her heels. "Woah," muttered Zola, "You know, if one of your moms was gonna just bring home a random kid from the hospital, I would not expect it to be Aunt Zona."

Sofia's face shrunk with confusion, "Why not? Mami doesn't even work in peds." Zola shook her head, elaborating on her reasoning, "I know. But like, Aunt Callie is just more… like, instinctive and emotional. Aunt Zona always seemed more calm and reasoned to me."

"Yeah, well so much for reasoned. This doesn't make any sense!" Sofia lamented. Zola shrugged, "Well, you might get used to it. I know Bailey and Ellis drive me crazy a lot of the time, but I'm mostly happy to have siblings and you probably will be too—"

"Hold up," interrupted Sofia, suddenly halting and turning on her heel, placing a hand on Zola's chest to stop her friend from crashing into her. "That girl is _not_ my sister. Momma told me that her dad's in a coma, so she needed a place to stay until he can take care of her." Zola cringed slightly, but responded hesitantly after a moment of silence, "Sof, how often do people wake up from coma's that have lasted that long? And do you really think your parents are going to dump this kid back on the street? I mean, I guess it's not a sure thing but—"

"No, it's not happening. And she's not my sister. Got it?" Sofia snapped, scowling at Zola as her hands rested aggressively on her hips. Zola sighed, "Sure. Got it."

"Good," responded Sofia, seemingly satisfied with Zola's response. Feeling the raindrops beginning to fall, Sofia pulled the hood of her green raincoat up over her head and began walking quickly into the hospital, Zola following quickly along behind her.

* * *

"So, I'm living with these two lesbians now," Riley told her father as she sat beside his bed. She still didn't like to look at him with all the tubes and the ventilator, but she'd gotten used to sitting with him. She spent most of her days hanging out in the hospital while Callie and Arizona were working. There wasn't a lot to do here when she wasn't at PT, so she figured she might as well spend some time visiting with her dad.

"They're alright, I guess. You met one of them. Well, sort of. She was my doctor, and she and her wife had just registered as foster parents so she decided to take me in," Riley continued, playing with the gooey hand that Arizona had given her to retrieve her ball a few weeks earlier. It wasn't really sticky anymore, but she still found it comforting to stretch it between her hands. "It was kinda weird. But it was nice of her. There aren't really a lot of homes for kids like me, in wheelchairs. And she has one leg, so she can handle it. And I think she sees it as this kind of a like… handicap camaraderie thing or something. Like I said, it's kinda weird, but … good."

Putting the hand back in her pocket, Riley started wheeling herself back and forth as she continued, "Callie's okay, I guess. Arizona didn't really tell her that I was going to stay with them, so she was pretty mad about it at first. But she seems okay now. She's trying anyway." Continuing to push on her wheels, Riley went on, "Their kid's a brat though. She doesn't want me there. I guess she's jealous or something."

She stopped and looked up at her dad, "But it doesn't really matter, because when you wake up, I'm gonna come live with you again." Forcing a smile that her dad couldn't see, she played nervously with her hands, staring at her lap.

"Arizona says I have to go back to school next week," she mumbled, looking away. "She says that my transfers are good enough that I can get around independently, so she can't let me stay out any longer." Looking up at her father, she continued, "I can either keep going to my old school, or I can go to Sofia's school. I think I'm gonna go to Sofia's school. I just wouldn't know what to say to any of my old friends. It might be better to go somewhere where no one knew me… before."

"There you are!" Callie burst into the hospital room, walking straight over to where Riley was sitting, "Riley, you know we don't mind if you visit your dad, but you've gotta let us know where you are, okay?" Riley nodded without making eye contact, but that was something Callie had learned to accept. "Sofia and Zola are working on homework in the break room. Why don't you go join them?"

Though she knew that Sofia didn't want her there, Riley nodded anyway, following Callie from her father's room, only glancing back briefly as she left. While she felt guilty for not saying good bye, she didn't want Callie to know that she had conversations with a man who probably couldn't hear her anyway.


	9. Chapter 8

Riley laid on her bed in the spare bedroom in Callie and Arizona's house. The walls were painted a pale blue. It housed a bed and a dresser, and a couple days ago, Arizona had had a bar installed next to the bed to help her transfer, but that was all. Arizona had offered to take Riley shopping to decorate it, but she had declined. She wasn't going to be staying here for that long, after all, so she didn't want them to have to buy her things. Even if they were surgeons and totally loaded, from the looks of it. She had also refused to let Arizona take her shopping for school supplies, though that was mostly because she was hoping that they would change her mind about making her go to school and she wasn't about to do anything that might indicate that she was on board with this plan.

Hearing a knock on the door, Riley stopped tossing the ball she was playing with against the wall but didn't respond. Slowly, the door creaked open and Arizona cautiously entered, giving Riley a tentative smile, "Hey, I brought you something." In her right hand, she was carrying a purple backpack with a bright green frog painted on it. "This is Sofia's old backpack. You need something to carry your school supplies in." Riley shrugged reluctantly, "I guess."

Arizona sat down on the edge of Riley's bed, laying the backpack gently in the girl's lap. Riley grasped it gently and felt some supplies in inside—probably just a notebook and some pencils from the feel of it. She didn't want to open it though, because that might give Arizona the impression that she appreciated this gesture. "I know it's a bit young for you, but it's what we had. The offer still stands to get you a backpack of your own—"

"I'm going to be in a wheelchair. You really think the kids are gonna be staring at the stupid frog on backpack?" Riley snapped, finally making eye contact with Arizona, tears burning the back of her eyes. Arizona sighed sympathetically, gently placing a hand on Riley's wrist, "I was so nervous about going back to work after my amputation. I avoided it for months."

Riley looked at her, expressing a combination of confusion and annoyance, "You can't even really tell you have a fake leg though, if you wear long pants." She stated bitterly. Arizona explained, "You can't now, but then, I was still walking with a cane. Plus everyone at the hospital knew what had happened. And I couldn't run to meet traumas like I used to, I couldn't stand for as long, which is a big deal if you're a surgeon."

Seeing that Riley still seemed unimpressed, she conceded, "I'm sure it's different than a chair though." When Riley made no acknowledgement of her comment, Arizona kept telling her story, "So, my first day back. It was so embarrassing at first. The doctors were all looking at me weird, a trauma came in that I couldn't get to in time, and there was this one strange resident who kept stalking me with chairs in case I needed to sit down," Arizona chuckled, rolling her eyes, "I'm pretty sure Callie put her up to it." She saw Riley suppress a smile, proving she was, in fact, listening, as much as she tried to hide it.

"So, after my first surgery back, an exploratory laparotomy—"

"Why do you say that like I know what it is?" Riley interrupted, though her voice was almost amused.

Arizona laughed, "Sorry. All you need to know is that it's a long surgery. And since it's exploratory, you don't really know how long it's gonna take when you start."

Riley nodded in understanding, and Arizona continued, "So, when the surgery was done, I was so proud of myself for finishing it successfully, that I got distracted, putting all my weight on my left foot."

Arizona looked at Riley, leaning in as if she was about to tell a secret before whispering, "I don't have a left foot."

Riley couldn't help but giggle a bit, as Arizona continued, "So, I fell. Flat on my face. And everyone froze. The OR was completely silent. Dr. Karev kicked everyone out, while I just laid there on the floor. He thought I was crying, he was _so_ freaked out. But I couldn't stop laughing." A wide smile crossed her face as she continued, "You see, falling in front of everyone had been one of the things I was most afraid of, and it happened. And then I realized, I survived a _plane crash_. I fell thirty thousand feet out of the air and _survived_. And now I was scared of tripping in front of my colleagues? It just suddenly felt so ridiculous to me."

Arizona squeezed Riley's hand and looked her in the eyes. "I know it's scary going to school. I _know_. But Riley, you are so strong. You're a survivor. And that's not to say that it won't be hard, because it will be. It might be hard for a long time. But it will get easier."

Riley nodded, "Okay." Arizona beamed, "Okay!" Standing up from the bed, she kissed the top of Riley's head before walking out of her room, "Don't stay up too late."

* * *

" _And what's your name?" asked the older lady in the front office of the new school, her smile too wide to be real. She looked down at young Timothy and Arizona through thick bifocals. Her sweater was green, fuzzy, and covered with cat fur, and Arizona thought she smelled like the old leather recliner at her grandmother's house. "Arizona," the young girl mumbled, her wide blue eyes fixated on the grey tile beneath her. She wished her mother had been able to walk them inside, but she had a job interview early that morning. The lady laughed, "No, sweetheart. Not where you're from—what's your name?"_

 _Arizona felt tears building in the back of her eyes, but refused to let them fall. As she pushed them back, she remembered the words her father said to her when he had informed her they would be moving in a week, right in the middle of her third grade year, and to a civilian school for the first time—"I need you to be brave and strong. For your brother. I need you to be a good man in a storm. Can you do that for me, Robbins?"_

 _Standing up as tall as her eight year old frame would allow, she looked the secretary in the eye and stated clearly, "My name is Arizona Robbins, and this is my brother, Timothy Robbins." She felt her little brother squeeze her left hand as she handed the folder in her right hand up to the secretary, "These are the records from our last school—in Atlanta, Georgia. Our mother's phone number is listed at the top if you have any questions."_

 _Looking over the forms she'd been handed, the secretary nodded approvingly, "Well, we're very pleased to have you both here." Placing the folder on her desk, she turned back to the blonde children in front of her, "Well, Timothy. Why don't I walk you over to your class? Arizona, the third grade teacher's aide will be here in a minute to show you the way, so why don't you have a seat over there?" She gestured to a wooden chair next to her desk, and Arizona nodded._

 _Just as she moved to sit down, she felt Timothy grasp her hand tighter, looking at her with tears in his big blue eyes, silently pleading with her not to leave him alone. Arizona forced a smile, "Go on, Timothy. She's gonna take you to your class." His lower lip quivered, and he whispered a wobbly plea, "Can you come, Zona?"_

 _She ruffled his hair with her right hand as she squeezed his right hand back, before releasing it, "No, I have to go to my own class. But you'll be fine. And I'll see you after school."_

" _Can I see you at recess and lunch too?" Timothy asked hopefully. Arizona bit her lip hesitantly—the last thing she needed while trying to make friends in her new school was her kid brother following her around, but she looked into his frightened blue eyes and nodded reluctantly, "Just today, okay?"_

 _Timothy nodded, and took the hand that the secretary offered him to lead him out of the office and to his classroom. Once he was safely out of the room, Arizona sunk into the chair, hastily wiping away a stray tear and closing her eyes, inhaling deeply before opening her eyes and sitting up straight, waiting stoically for her guide to come and take her to her new class._

* * *

Zola looked guiltily over at Riley, sitting by herself at the opposite end of the cafeteria from her and Sofia. Turning hesitantly to her friend, she asked one more time, "Are you sure you don't want to invite her to sit with us?"

"No, Zola. I've already told you. We're not friends with her," Sofia muttered with annoyance, finishing off her peanut butter and jelly sandwich. She pulled a ziplock filled with Oreos from her Harry Potter lunch box. Stuck to them was a pink post-it note with Arizona's loopy handwriting, which read, "Share with Zola and Riley. Love you bug." Scowling at her Momma's not so subtle attempt to get her to befriend Riley at school, she crumpled the note up and tossed it aside. Zola looked at her with concern as Sofia bit into one of her Oreos, "Your Momma said that you should share those with Riley."

With a disgruntled sigh, Sofia continued eating her Oreo, "Well, what my Momma doesn't know won't hurt her. And if you don't drop it, you're not getting any either."

"Fine," Zola said, reaching into the ziplock and grabbing herself an Oreo. However, it was barely a minute before Sofia caught her watching Riley forlornly once more. "Stop looking!" Sofia snapped, her mouth filled with Oreos.

"Sorry!" Zola stammered, swallowing the cookie in her mouth before continuing, "It's just, I mean, she's reading Goosebumps. And you love Goosebumps, so maybe you'd like her if you just gave her a chance?"

Sofia rolled her eyes, "Okay, first of all, I liked Goosebumps a year ago. And second, she's only reading it because I lent it to her." Zola raised her eyebrows, "You did? I mean, that's something—"

"No, no, no. I didn't _offer_ , Momma came into my room last night and practically begged me to lend her a couple books to read at school. So, I told her she could take a couple Goosebumps books but not to touch Harry Potter or Chronicles of Narnia." Sofia took another Oreo out of the bag, removing the top layer of cookie with her teeth and eating it, "It's kinda pathetic how much she worries about her. Seriously, like she's not even her kid."

Zola shrugged, licking out the center of her Oreo as she continued thoughtfully, "I mean, it's kind of your parents' job to take care of her. It doesn't seem that pathetic for her to worry a bit."

Sofia zipped her lunch box closed, "Whatever. I don't want to talk about this anymore." She stood up and headed toward the basketball court, dragging Zola along with her.

* * *

It was Tuesday evening, which meant it was time for Arizona and Sofia's weekly _Cupcake Wars_ viewing. The two of them were snuggled together on the couch while Callie finished the dishes in the kitchen, laughing at their extreme reactions to the judges' decisions.

"Florian didn't like the red velvet cupcake? I love red velvet!" Sofia cried in indignation as the contestant got eliminated. Arizona shook her head in agreement, "I mean, I know the guy hates red velvet, but it had to be better than the chili cupcake? That one wasn't even baked all the way through." Throwing up her hands, Sofia added, "I know!"

Just then, a noise came from the hallway as Riley wheeled herself cautiously into the living room. Arizona looked up from the TV and greeted her with a smile. "Hey Riley, would you like to join us?" she asked eagerly. The girl had been spending most evenings alone in her room, and Arizona was excited to see her emerging. Callie too seemed intrigued by this development, briefly pausing her work in the kitchen as she observed the interaction unfolding. Riley shrugged noncommittally, "Sure, I guess."

Wheeling her way over the couch, she smoothly transferred from her chair to the spot next to Arizona on the sofa. "Have you watched _Cupcake Wars_ before?" Arizona inquired. Riley shook her head, and Arizona beamed, "Well, you're in from a treat! Isn't that right, Sof?" Her daughter shrugged morosely, "I guess. But it's kind of hard to watch from the middle of the episode."

"Oh, we can catch her up," Arizona commented. "See, the basic premise is that there are four pairs of cupcake bakers from cupcake shops across the country that come together to compete in three different cupcake challenges."

"That's a lot of cupcakes," Riley muttered in amusement. Arizona nodded eagerly, "I know! It's fantastic. So last round—"

"Momma, I can't hear. Can we just watch?" Sofia whined.

"Well, let's pause it then—"

"No!" Sofia stood up from the couch, "I don't want to watch anymore," she grumbled, stomping off to her room. "What's up with her?" Riley asked, annoyance clearly trying to mask some level of hurt. Arizona sighed defeatedly, "I don't know. Give her some time."

Seeing Callie follow Sofia into her room, Arizona turned her attention back to Riley, "So, we were talking about the cupcakes from last round…"

* * *

Knocking softly on Sofia's door, Callie didn't wait for an answer before entering. She saw her daughter laying on her bed on her stomach, pouting bitterly. "Sofia, what's gotten into you lately? This isn't like you."

Hearing an incoherent mumble coming from her daughter's bed, Callie pressed on, "Turn around and speak up, I don't understand you." She sat down on the edge of Sofia's bed as the girl sat up and faced her, "I don't like her, Mami. How long is she going to stay here?"

Callie sighed, "I don't know, m'ija. But you barely know her, and as long as she lives here, you are to treat her with respect." Sofia rolled her eyes, but Callie continued firmly, "Sofia, it's important." Softening her voice a bit, she went on, "Riley's going through a hard time right now. She doesn't have family or friends here, so she needs us."

Sofia pulled her knees up to her chest, stewing in her anger and shame. Looking up at Callie, she whined, "But _Cupcake Wars_ is me and Momma's thing. And she just came in here and… it's _our_ thing." Placing a hand on her daughter's shoulder, Callie comforted, "I know it is. But I would really appreciate if you would be willing to share it, just for a little while."

Callie waited for Sofia to respond, but her daughter just continued to pout on her bed. Standing up and turning to leave Sofia's room, she turned back to her daughter, "I know this is hard for you, but your attitude needs to change, m'ija. I mean it."

* * *

"I just don't know what to do. Sofia has never acted like this before," Arizona wondered aloud as she and Callie prepared for bed. Callie shrugged, "I don't know either. Can you blame her? You kinda sprung this on her." Seeing her wife give her a guilty look, she continued, "We've been over this. What's done is done, and there's no sense in placing blame. But… I don't think Sofia understands yet."

Arizona sighed, "I know, you're right. It wasn't fair to Sofia. But what are we going to do about it now?" She sat on the edge of their bed and began to remove her prosthesis as Callie climbed under the covers on the opposite side. "Maybe we should have a day with just Sofia," Callie suggested. Setting her leg against the nightstand, Arizona crawled in next to her wife, "Do you think that's a good idea? I don't want it to seem like we're rewarding bad behavior."

"No, I know," Callie clarified, reaching over and switching off the light, "I just think it might give us a chance to explain the situation to her, and give her some time with just us. We might be able to figure out more of what's going on." Arizona pondered that for a moment, "Yeah, that might be good. What would we do with Riley?"

"Maybe Meredith can take her for the day? She can hang out with Zola," Callie provided, reaching over and turning off her bedside lamp. Arizona nodded in the darkness, "Okay, that could work." She rolled toward her wife, snuggling against Callie, who pulled her in close to her as Arizona clung to her waist.

"Do you think I'm crazy? I mean, the more I think about it, I just can't believe I did this," Arizona mumbled into her wife's chest. Callie laughed softly, "Yes, I think you're crazy. You're probably gonna be the crazy one for a month for this one." Placing a kiss on Arizona's head, she continued, "But that's okay. I'm sure it will be my turn again soon." Arizona nodded gratefully, exhaling against Callie's chest, a drop of relief filling her chest.


	10. Chapter 9

Riley wheeled into the kitchen as Callie was making dinner—her famous chicken piccata that Arizona loved so much. Her wife was finishing up a difficult day at the hospital, coming off a loss in surgery, and she wanted to do something special. "Hey Riley," Callie greeted as she placed the breaded chicken into the pan. Riley didn't respond, just sat silently for a moment as Callie continued cooking chopping up vegetables on the counter. After a moment, she heard Riley ask cautiously, "What are you making?"

Pausing her chopping momentarily, she turned to the girl behind her and smiled warmly, "I'm making chicken piccata with sautéed veggies." Riley nodded, "It looks good." Callie grinned wider, "Thank you. This is Arizona's favorite, and not to brag, but is kind of a specialty of mine." She turned to Riley, who was looking up the counter sadly, "What wrong?" After a moment, Riley murmured softly, "I used to cook a lot with my dad."

Callie didn't know how to respond. It seemed to hit her all at once what this girl must be going through. Sure, she seemed pretty sullen most of the time, but her father was in a coma and she was living with people who were practically strangers. After a moment, she turned to Riley, hesitantly asking, "Do you want to help? It sounds like you're pretty good at this."

Riley looked up at her in annoyance, "I would, but I don't think I can reach—"

Before she could finish her snarky comeback, Callie pulled out a table, the perfect height for her to roll her wheelchair up to, placing a chopping board and some knives and onions down on it for her. As Riley wheeled herself up to the table, Callie pulled herself a chair up next to the pull out table, sitting opposite Riley as she began chopping onions. Following her lead, Riley began chopping with her.

"You're knife skills are pretty impressive for your age," Callie commented. Riley gave her a small smile as she continued to chop. Her eyes were watery, but Callie figured it was from probably the onions. "The stove top and counter height is a bit high, but our oven is side opening, so you should be able to use that, if you ever want to bake." Callie continued, "We wanted to make the kitchen as accessible as possible, so that Arizona could use it if she ever had to use a wheelchair, but we kept the stove high because…well, let's be honest, Arizona rarely cooks and I'm 5'9" and usually wear heels." Riley chuckled, her small smile widening slightly, "I've noticed that."

They chopped in silence for a few moments, until Callie asked, "Do you like _Chopped_?" Riley shook her head, "Never heard of it." Beaming with excited eyes, Callie elaborated, "It's one of those cooking competition shows. Sofia loves it. She loves cooking too. You two should watch it sometime."

After a moment of silence, Riley muttered softly, "I don't really think she wants to watch anything with me." Callie sighed, her heart breaking for Riley, who must be so alone, "Well, she'll come around. Give her time." Riley nodded politely, "Okay," she mumbled, though her tone seemed to indicate that she didn't actually believe Sofia would change.

Just then, the front door opened and Arizona entered, dropping her purse on the coffee table and hanging her raincoat on the hook by the door. "Hey," she greeted Callie as she entered the kitchen, smiling when she saw her cooking with Riley. Callie stood and pulled her wife into a hug, feeling her relax into her briefly before pulling away. "How was the rest of your day?" Callie asked, her eyes concerned. Arizona's smile was tired, but genuine, "I'm happy to be home." Turning to Riley, she placed a kiss on top of her head, "And how was your day? How was school?"

Riley responded with a shrug, "It's whatever." Arizona nodded sympathetically, "It's your first week back. It will get better." Riley nodded, though again, Callie sensed that she didn't really believe it. Arizona stood, continuing, "Well, this smells delicious. I'm gonna go shower, but I'll be out in about twenty minutes?"

"Take your time," Callie replied, "It will be at least thirty, which is about when Sofia's getting home from her Girl Scout troop's meeting."

As her wife left the room, she saw Riley staring after her thoughtfully. "You know," the girl stated, "For a surgeon who spends most of her days working with really messed up kids, she sure does smile a lot." Callie's own smile broadened, "I call it her super magic smile." Riley rolled her eyes and continued chopping, but Callie could see that despite her surly front, Riley wasn't immune Dr. Robbins' super magic smile either.

* * *

Sofia lazily walked out of her room on Saturday morning, her green fuzzy slippers dragging on the floor. Usually she woke up on Saturday morning and made herself a bowl of cereal—one or both of her mothers was usually working on Saturdays and when they weren't, they liked to sleep in. Which was why she was so surprised to see Arizona standing in the kitchen, already dressed. Upon closer examination, she appeared to be _cooking_.

"Good morning!" Arizona chirped cheerfully when she saw her daughter emerging, "I was just about to wake you. I made pancakes!" As Sofia sat down at the kitchen table, Arizona brought her over a plate, with some slightly charred, but definitely edible, pancakes. "I burnt them a little, but they still look pretty good, if I do say so myself." Plopping a couple pancakes down on her own plate, she took her seat next to her daughter.

"Where's Riley?" Sofia asked, not trying to hide the resentment in her voice. Her Momma never cooked, and she couldn't help think that this had more to do with Riley than it did with her. Ignoring her disgruntled tone, Arizona responded calmly, "Your mother took her over to Aunt Meredith's for the day."

As Sofia looked up from her plate in confusion, Arizona continued, "We thought that it might be fun to have a day just the three of us." Sofia's eyes lit up, "Really?" Smiling, Arizona continued, "Really. If you like, we could check out that Reptiles and Amphibian Exhibit at the Burke Museum… but you probably wouldn't be interested in that," Arizona teased. Sofia practically jumped up from her seat, "I've been wanting to see it for months!"

"Hmmm… you haven't mentioned it before," Arizona joked, and Sofia laughed sheepishly, "Okay, I guess I do talk about it a lot…"

"Well, finish up your pancakes and get ready," Arizona instructed, and Sofia nodded, shoving some burnt pancakes into her mouth. "I'm on it," she mumbled through her stuffed mouth, hardly able to contain her excitement.

* * *

Riley sat in the living room at Meredith's house, reading the Goosebumps book that Sofia had begrudgingly lent her. They honestly weren't her favorite, but she was bored, and it was something to do. Callie had kindly explained to her on the way over that they wanted to spend the day with just Sofia, that it might give them a chance to talk, and that Riley would have a wonderful time with Zola. Riley knew it was because Sofia didn't want her living in her house with her family, even though Callie didn't say that. It didn't take a genius to figure that one out. But hopefully, after today, Sofia might chill out a bit and be less of a brat to her.

"What are you reading?" Zola asked, standing at the edge of the living room. Riley wordlessly gestured to her book without looking up. Even though Callie had insisted she and Zola would have a wonderful time togehter, she knew Zola was a friend of Sofia's and was probably only asking her because her Meredith made her, but she was surprised when Zola walked over to her and sat down on the couch across from her. "Is that one of the choose your own adventure ones?"

Riley shook her head, "No, this one's just about werewolves. It's okay." Zola nodded, "You should have Sofia lend you one of the choose your own adventure books. Those were my favorite." Riley looked at her incredulously, "I don't think she'll want to lend me those. I know the only reason she lent me this one is because Arizona forced her to."

Looking at her feet, Zola mumbled, "Yeah… Sorry about that. Sofia, she's just…"

"A total brat?" Riley challenged. Zola hesitated, "She's a good person really. She's just—"

"It's fine, I get it," Riley interrupted, letting Zola off the hook. They both sat silently for a moment, before, to Riley's surprise, Zola started up the conversation again, "So, like, what do you like to do?" Riley shrugged, she'd struggled with this question ever since the car accident, "I don't know. I play guitar. I used to play basketball. I used to cook with my dad." Zola nodded, not knowing what to say.

Cautiously, Zola suggested, "Well, do you like _Chopped_? We could watch that, if you're into cooking." Riley hesitated for a moment, remembering Callie recommending she watch it with Sofia. But after a moment, she agreed, "Sure. Let's watch it."

* * *

 _Arizona trudged up the stairs to her third story apartment, her feet heavy with exhaustion as she lifted them up the final flight of stairs. It had been a long day—with an eight hour clinical shift following six hours of class. And she had another clinical shift tomorrow as well. She had volunteered for the Thanksgiving shift. It wasn't like she had anything better to do over the holiday. She didn't have time to go home, and since breaking up with her girlfriend a month ago over her hectic med school schedule, she didn't have anyone to spend the day with. She planned on spending her weekend working at the hospital or huddled in her studio apartment studying for her finals. But for now, she just needed to sleep._

 _When she reached the top of the stairs and turned the corner to head toward to her apartment, she looked up and froze at the sight in front of her. Siting outside the door of her apartment was her brother, Timothy, and her best friend, Nick. When he saw her come around the corner, Timothy lept to his feet and rushed to greet her, "Zona!" The sound of her brother's nickname for her shook her out of her haze and she opened her arms, pulling him into a tight hug._

" _What are you doing here?" she asked, shock filling her voice as she pulled away from Timothy and reached over to pull Nick into a hug as well. "What? Don't want to see us, Tempe?" Nick teased. Arizona smacked him playfully on the arm as she pulled away, "You know that's not what I meant." Timothy grinned widely, "Well, we thought you might want some company for Thanksgiving, so we decided to drive up from North Carolina. We were sure you would be here by the time we arrived, because the traffic was so terrible, but I suppose we underestimated your schedule. No wonder Caitlin broke up with you." Arizona shot him a glare, and Timothy raised his arms up defensively, "Kidding! She clearly didn't deserve you." Smirking at her brother, Arizona murmured, "Got that right," as she slipped the key into her lock and opened the door, gesturing toward the doorway to invite them in._

" _If I'd known you were coming, I would have cleaned up," Arizona mumbled sheepishly, but Nick looked incredulously around her practically spotless apartment and replied sarcastically, "Yeah, this place is an absolute sty, Flagstaff. Shame on you." Ignoring his joke, she pulled a few beers from her fridge and set them on the table in front of them, where she realized that Tim had set a box of donuts. "Oh, bless you. I'm starving," she muttered, practically ripping open the box and grabbing herself chocolate cruller. After taking a bite, she set the donut carefully on a napkin and opened the beers, passing one to Tim and one to Nick. "So, how's school?" she asked. Both of them were in their senior year at the University of North Carolina—Tim in the ROTC program and Nick majoring in philosophy. Tim shrugged, "It's okay. I can feel the senioritis setting in already though." Nick nodded in agreement with that statement, and Arizona shot them both a worried glance. "You are both still going to class, right? Oh, did you two skip class to come here? Because you know you shouldn't have done—"_

" _Chill, Sedona," Nick responded, waving his hand dismissively, "We had the day off. I know that's a foreign concept to you, but it does happen occasionally." Rolling her eyes, Arizona smiled in relief, "Well, good." Looking over at the table, a box wrapped in newspaper caught her eye. Noticing where she was looking, Tim picked it up, "Oh, yeah. This is for you, Zona. Since I figured I wouldn't see you at Christmas this year."_

 _Taking the box tenderly from his hand, she looked up at her brother remorsefully, "Tim, I didn't get you anything." He laughed, "Of course you didn't, Zona. It's November. And you barely have time to shower—"_

" _I shower!" Arizona spat back indignantly, though it had, admittedly, been a couple days. Tim smiled sympathetically, "Just open it, will you?" Carefully removing the corner of the taped newspaper, Arizona meticulously removed the box from it's wrapping, revealing it to be a shoebox. Opening it, she was surprised to find a pair of sneakers._

" _They aren't just tennis shoes," Timothy added, sensing his sister's confusion, "Look at the bottom." Pulling a black and pink shoe from the box, she turned it over to see a wheel hidden in the thick sole. "They're heelies!" Timothy exclaimed excitedly. Arizona looked up at him, a gleeful grin spreading across her face, "No way!"_

" _Yeah, way!" He responded. "I figured you probably didn't have much time to skate, so this might help with that problem." Arizona's smile widened, "Thank you!" Her brother beamed in response, "Put them on! Let's try them out!" Arizona looked at him warily, "Tim, it's 11 o'clock at night."_

" _So?" he responded, raising his eyes in a challenge. After a moment's consideration, she kicked off the shoes she was wearing and began shoving her feet into the heelies. Rushing out the door with Tim following quickly behind, she called back, "You coming, Nick?"_

" _Nah, I'm good Phoenix. I'll just sit here and drink you beer," he responded teasingly. "Suit it yourself," she replied with a shrug as she rushed out the door, filled with a fresh spurt of energy as her younger brother jogged closely behind._

* * *

"Oh! And do you remember that giant spotted salamander? That was so cool!" Sofia rambled excitedly as she licked her chocolate ice cream cone while walking through the park with her mothers. Arizona nodded enthusiastically, exchanging a look with Callie as she licked her own ice cream cone. They hadn't seen their daughter this happy since Riley moved in two weeks ago, and it was a relief to know she was still in there somewhere.

"I'm glad you had so much fun today, bug," Arizona smiled and Callie nodded in agreement. Looking up at the rain clouds forming above their head, Callie suggested, "It might be time to make our way back to the car, unless we want to eat soggy ice cream," Sofia laughed, but agreed with that assessment. When they arrived at their van, Sofia lept in the back seat, eagerly pulling out her _Encyclopedia of Reptiles and Amphibians_ that her mothers had bought for her. "Don't make yourself carsick reading that while we're driving," Arizona warned. Rolling her eyes, Sofia put the book aside, "If you say so, Momma." She knew her mother was right, though. She did tend to get carsick while reading.

"So, where to?" Callie asked, climbing into the driver's seat. Arizona looked at her watch, "Well, it's getting kind of late. Should we go and pick up Riley from Meredith's place?"

"Do we have to?" Sofia whined from the back seat. Callie and Arizona exchanged concerned looks—it seemed like maybe their plan of bringing Sofia out for a day on her own hadn't worked. Trying to keep her voice casual, Arizona responded, "Well, bug. We can't exactly leave her there—"

"I know that, Momma. I'm just… I missed this, it being just the three of us," Sofia mumbled sadly. Callie turned around in her seat so she could face her daughter, "Sofia, honey. I know. We miss it too. But it's just gonna be different for a while. And there are some things that could be really great, if you just give it a chance."

Sofia raised her eyes skeptically, "Oh, yeah? Like what?" Arizona jumped in, "Sofia, having someone to hang out with, who's your age, that could be cool." With a noncommittal shrug, Sofia conceded that point.

After a moment's pause, she asked her parents, "Are you going to adopt her?" The question hung heavily in the air, as Callie and Arizona looked toward each other. "Well, Sofia. Her father is still alive, so as of right now, this is a temporary placement," Callie provided carefully. She and Arizona had yet to discuss whether or not adoption was something they would consider if the situation arose, but it wasn't the time to talk about such things anyway. Even as the probability waned, the best option would be for Riley to be reunited with her father.

With a reluctant nod, Sofia finally said, "Okay. I'll try to be better with her."

Arizona smiled appreciatively, reaching across to the back seat and squeezing Sofia's hand, "Thanks, bug. That means a lot to us." Forcing a smile, Sofia suggested, "Okay, then. I guess we should go get her."

* * *

"Just one minute left! Get it on the plate!" Amelia called out, holding her phone as a stop watch. The dessert round of their Chopped tournament was coming to a close. Meredith and Zola were facing off against Cristina and Riley, and the competition was neck and neck, with each team winning one of the previous two rounds. Now, they were in the final round, to make a dessert using chocolate chips, Captain Crunch cereal, and mint chocolate chip ice cream (the ingredients selected by Amelia—who was also serving as judge—based on what they had in the fridge). The stakes were high, and Zola and Riley both shouted frantically to their teammates as they finished plating their food.

"You're going down, Grey!" Cristina trash talked from over in the corner, where she and Riley were putting the finishing touches on their dish. "Oh really, Yang? Didn't you say that last round when you lost?" Meredith taunted back, working quickly with Zola to clean up their plate. Cristina scoffed, "Your sister's judging! The competition is rigged!"

"Hey, now! No disrespecting the judge!" Amelia interjected indignantly, looking at her phone again, "And five, four, three, two, one! Hands up!" Eight hands shot into the air, and Amelia beamed, "Alright! Good work chefs! Let's start the tasting. Zola, you first."

Bringing her dish up to Amelia, Zola began her presentation, "We have prepared for you today a scoop of mint chocolate chip ice cream, with chocolate sauce melted from chocolate chips and cream cheese, with crushed Captain Crunch sprinkles." Zola recited proudly, setting her dish in front of Amelia.

"Well, this looks quite good," Amelia praised, "Presentation is excellent!" Taking a bite, Amelia hummed with delight, "Mmmmm Captain Crunch. Best ice cream topping ever." Cristina rolled her eyes as Meredith gave her a smug look. "Well, I certainly am impressed with the flavors, the cream cheese was a nice touch, but I think you could have done more. I mean, come on you guys. Half an hour for melting chocolate? What were you even doing?" Zola looked to Meredith for help, who responded with, "We believe simplicity is undervalued in the kitchen." Nodding in agreement, Zola turned back to Amelia, who shrugged, "Maybe. But let's see what your competitors came up with. Riley, come on up!"

"We got this," Cristina stated confidently as Riley wheeled up to meet Amelia, a tray with their dish balanced carefully on her lap. Placing a plate carefully in front of Amelia, Riley stated calmly, "We have prepared for you today a mint chocolate chip ice cream bread, infused with chocolate chips, topped with a Captain Crunch crust." Amelia raised her eyebrows, "Ice cream bread? Where did you think of that?" Riley smiled confidently, "I watched a youtube video about it a while ago."

"Alright, let's have a taste," Amelia said, carefully cutting a piece of the bread, and making sure to get some Captain Crunch crust on top. "Mmmmmm, Captain Crunch," she praised, and Cristina mumbled under her breath, "Weirdo."

"I will factor disrespect for the judge into my decision," Amelia warned, and Riley shot Cristina a cautionary glare. As she finished her bite, Amelia went on to offer her critiques, "The cake is quite good, and the Captain Crunch crust was ingenious." Cristina smirked, "See? Ingenious, Mere."

"Oh, shut up," muttered Meredith, her arms crossed over her hand.

"What was less ingenious was the chocolate chip 'infusions'? I mean, mint chocolate chip ice cream already _has_ chocolate chips in it, so I would have liked to see a more creative way to use that ingredient," Amelia stated seriously, while Cristina threw her hands up in the air, "Oh, come on! You picked the ingredients, so how is that our fault?"

"I think that counts as disrespecting the judge," Meredith stated calmly, giving Amelia a sympathetic look, but her sister wasn't fooled by this, "Wow, y'all are competitive."

"We're surgeons. What do you expect?" Cristina stated, as if this should be obvious. With a casual shrug, Amelia continued, "It was a difficult choice, but I am ready to make my decision."

Four sets of eyes fixated on Amelia as they silently awaited her decision. "The champions of the mini-Chopped competition is…drum roll please." Riley and Zola drummed on their laps, building up to Amelia's announcement, "Team Riley!"

"Yes!" Riley and Cristina called out in unison, exchanging a high five as Meredith scowled at her sister, assuring Zola that their dish was truly _the best_.

Just then, a knock sounded at the door, "Come in!" Meredith called from the kitchen. The front door swung open and footsteps entered the house, "Hello?" Callie called out. "In the kitchen!" Cristina shouted back.

Callie, Arizona, and Sofia entered the kitchen, staring at the mess it had become. "Well, what's been going on here?" Arizona asked, not one for mess, but her cautious glance was replaced a wide smile when Riley beamed up at her, "We won the Chopped tournament!"

"That's great!" Arizona responded, but Callie looked more skeptical, "Who's we?"

"Me and Cristina," Riley stated and Cristina nodded in affirmation, "We were competing against Meredith and Zola." Confusion crossed Callie's face, "Well, I believe that Riley could do it—she's a pro. But Yang can't cook to save her life."

"Neither can Grey," Arizona argued, while Meredith and Cristina exchanged looks—they figured they should be offended, but it was true. Neither of them could cook worth a damn.

"Well, we better be going," Arizona said with a twinge of regret—this was the most fun she's seen Riley have since she'd met her and she hated to end it. But they needed to get home, and she could sense that Sofia was a bit jealous of the fun they'd had without her. "Thanks so much for taking her for the day," Callie added, looking to Meredith, Cristina, and Amelia.

"Well, like Sofia, Riley is welcome here anytime," Meredith said kindly, "Besides, I want a rematch, so she'll have to return." Zola smiled at Riley, "See you Monday, Riley." Nodding enthusiastically, Riley replied, "Yeah. Thanks for hanging out today. It was fun."

Sofia finally caught Zola's eye. Forcing a smile, she turned and followed her mothers and Riley from the house without saying a word to her friend.


	11. Chapter 10

Sofia sat sullenly at the lunch table at school with Zola and Riley. This time, Zola hadn't asked her if it was okay to invite Riley to sit with them, she had just done it, and there was nothing Sofia could do about it. She bitterly wondered if it was part of her mothers' plot for the day, leaving Riley with Zola so that they could bond independently of her. And now, they were talking with each other about _Chopped_ as if she wasn't even there.

One thing was for sure though. She wasn't sharing her Oreos with either of them today. Momma would just have to start packing Riley her own.

"Sofia?" Zola's voice shook her from her silent stewing. Turning abruptly toward the pair sitting next to her, she saw Riley reaching out, offering her a Nutter Butter from a ziplock bag with a pink post-it note stuck to it. Her mother was clever, she had to give her that. Mumbling a begrudging, "Thank you," Sofia snatched a cookie, continuing to hoard her Oreos for herself.

After another five minutes of listening half heartedly to the two yammering on about their cooking passions or whatever, Sofia came up with an idea. Standing abruptly from the table, she announced, "We should to play basketball."

She looked expectantly at Riley and Zola, who both remained awkwardly seated. Zola spoke up hesitantly, "I think we should play a game that we can all play."

Sofia rolled her eyes, "She can play. We're just playing HORSE. There are entire wheelchair basketball leagues—Momma knows all about adaptive sports. A wheelchair definitely doesn't make you _incapable_ of playing HORSE." She crossed her arms, waiting impatiently for them to make up their minds. Finally, Riley responded with feigned confidence, "Okay, let's play."

To be honest, Sofia wasn't expecting Riley to take her up on the offer. Mostly, she's been looking for an activity far enough from Riley's comfort zone to exclude her, yet within the realm of what was possible for Riley to play so that she and Zola could play together without feeling guilty. But she couldn't very well say that _now_. So she grabbed the most inflated ball she could find from the bin and ran up to the court where Riley and Zola were already waiting for her. She spotted a yard aide watching them nervously; she wasn't sure Riley had ever tried anything like this before.

Choosing her position at the corner of the court, Sofia made her first shot; it swished flawlessly into the basket. She smirked cockily, "Alright Zola, beat that." Zola walked up to the spot that Sofia indicated with her foot until she arrived. After taking a moment to focus, she tossed the ball upward; it bounced off the backboard and into the hoop. She waited on the spot nervously as Sofia gathered the ball. She looked over to Riley, and not trying to suppress her glee, Sofia sneered, "Your turn."

Riley wheeled herself up to the spot, braking her wheelchair in place as Sofia handed her the ball. Focusing on the hoop, she concentrated for a few moments, felling the bumps on the balls beneath her fingers. Lunging her arms forward, she threw the ball toward the hoop. It soared a good foot below the hoop and a yard shy, bouncing on the ground with a thud as it rolled away from them.

Sofia, Zola, and Riley all watched it for a second, until Sofia cried out triumphantly, "H." She looked to the other two, Zola staring at her feet awkwardly and Riley still watching the bouncing ball. Shaking her head angrily, Riley muttered, "I knew this was a bad idea," and rolled off toward the edge of the playground.

Sofia watched her go, her breath stuck in her throat. It was what she had wanted from the beginning, but now, as she stared after Riley, witnessing her embarrassment and disappointment, Sofia could feel the hot shame building up inside of her. In the end, she just couldn't go through with it, "Hey!" she called after Riley. Grabbing the ball on her way, she ran in front of Riley's path, forcing her to stop. Riley just stared at her lap.

"I didn't think you'd give up that easily," Sofia said, the harsh edge she usually addressed Riley with no longer present. She handed Riley the ball, and ran behind her wheelchair, grabbing the handles and wheeling her back toward the court, and up to the same spot. With a soft smile, she nodded toward the hoop, and encouraged her to try again.

* * *

Sofia and Riley sat in the hospital cafeteria, awkwardly waiting to go home. Zola had left over an hour ago with Meredith, but Callie and Arizona were apparently _both_ finishing up surgeries, so the two of them sat and waited silently.

"I know you were trying to exclude me today by playing HORSE," Riley said, breaking their silence. Sofia looked up guiltily, "Yeah, about that—"

"No, it's okay," Riley cut her off, "What I meant was, I'm glad you did it. I haven't held a basketball in so long and even though I didn't make any baskets… It was still cool. So, thanks."

Sofia looked up at her in shock; she hadn't been expecting that at all, and didn't know how to respond. "Yeah, sure," she finally said after a tense pause.

Riley continued to hold her gazed, and after a moment, continued talking, "You haven't been very nice to me since I've gotten here. Not that it's all your fault or anything, and that's not even what I'm saying, it's just… the kids at school, and most adults too, they look at my like they feel sorry for me. They pity me. And you've never done that, which I appreciate."

Sofia nodded, looking away, not knowing whether to feel proud or ashamed of this praise she clearly didn't deserve. She finally turned back to Riley, "Well… sure." After a moment's pause she added, "I'll share my Oreos tomorrow. And you can borrow more of my books if you want."

Riley chuckled, "I'll take you up on the books, but you can keep the Oreos. I'm not really a chocolate person."

"Who the heck isn't a chocolate person?" Sofia exclaimed incredulously, laughing in relief. It was hard being angry for so long and she was surprised how much better she felt letting some of that go.

"Are you guys ready to go?" Callie called from the doorway of the cafeteria, Arizona standing behind her. "We were ready an hour ago!" called Sofia, grabbing the handles of Riley's wheelchair and pushing her toward the door. Callie and Arizona exchanged a look, taken aback by the difference in interaction between the two girls from just that morning.

"How was school?" Callie asked, not wanting to jinx this new dynamic by drawing attention to it. Riley smiled, "It was good. We played basketball." Both Callie and Arizona raised their eyes, excitement and concern warring for dominance, but Riley continued, assuaging their worries, "Just HORSE. Nothing too active. But it was fun."

"I won," Sofia stated teasingly, and Riley responded, "Yeah, well I'm out of practice, so just you wait and see." Arizona beamed at the interactions between the two girls, "Who wants pizza for dinner?"

"Me!" both girls responded enthusiastically as they reached the car, rolling Riley into the wheelchair accessible van they had leased. Callie handed Sofia her phone, "Alright, m'ija. You and Riley decide on a topping, and place the order for pick-up on our way home. Put in a veggie pizza for me and your mother."

"Can we get cinnamon sticks?" Sofia asked. Looking to Arizona, who nodded, Callie gave in. "Sure!" Arizona watched both girls huddled over Callie's phone, scrolling through the options on the Domino's app, excitement bubbling up inside her at the budding relationship she could see growing between them.

* * *

"The zoo is soooo cool! They have elephants and red wolves and an aquarium with jellyfish and an octopus, though you usually can't see it because it likes to hide in corners," Sofia explained to Riley in the car on their way to the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium in Tacoma. Arizona shuddered at the mention of the octopus, causing Sofia to giggle. "Octopi freak Momma out," she told Riley. Arizona sighed defensively, "They're freaky! Did you hear about that one that escaped the tank at night and ate the zoo employees?"

"If by zoo employees, you mean _fish_ , then yeah, I've heard of that," added Callie, rolling her eyes. Arizona slapped her wife's arm playfully as she laughed from the passenger's seat.

"Whatever," Sofia said, continuing with her play by play of the zoo. "So, yeah, and then there's leopards and polar bears. And camels! You can even ride a camel!" As soon as the words left her mouth, she paused, remembering awkwardly that with Riley's paralysis, she probably _couldn't_ ride a camel. But Riley didn't seem bothered by her mistake, "It's okay. I wouldn't want to ride one anyway. I don't especially want to ride big animals. I'm not into horseback riding either."

"I hear that, Riley. I don't like riding the camels either," Arizona chimed in with a curt shake of her head. Callie snickered, "Is there anything you like about the zoo?" Arizona shrugged, "The fish are alright." Callie chuckled softly, but reached her arm over to the passenger's seat and squeezed her wife's shoulder, "I'm glad you're going though," she indicated gently. Since her time in the woods following the plane crash, Arizona didn't especially enjoy being around wild animals, and Callie knew that the zoo was a significant step for her, even if she the animals featured in the Point Defiance Zoo bore little resemblance to those she encountered in the woods.

As the Beyonce CD Callie had selected came to an end, she pulled it out and turned to the seat behind her, "Alright, Riley. It's your turn to pick the music." Riley pondered for a second, before asking, "Do you have Dixie Chicks' _Wide Open Spaces_?" Arizona beamed, "We sure do! And it is underplayed in this car, if you ask me."

Sofia groans, "There's a reason for that Momma. Do we really have to listen to country?" She looked to Callie for support, but she didn't receive any. Riley hesitated, not wanting to endanger her new found relationship with Sofia, "Um, I can pick something else."

Sofia looked up at Callie, who gave her a stern look in the rear view mirror. Sighing deeply as the tense silence filled the car, she relented, "Dixie Chicks is fine, I guess. But can we listen to the album with the song about the women who murders that abusive husband?" Riley's eyes light up, "Oh, yeah! Let's listen to that one! It's my favorite!"

Arizona smiled widely, "Sounds good! Put it in, Calliope." Looking over to Arizona, Callie raised her eyebrows, mumbling under her breath, "You sure this is age appropriate?"

"Oh, relax. It's fine," Arizona responded casually, waving her hand dismissively. Callie shrugged, "Alright, here we go." She inserted the CD, and within a moment, they were all singing along.

* * *

"So, you come in here everyday?" Sofia asked Riley as she stood in the doorway of Riley's father's hospital room. Riley nodded in affirmation, "Every day I'm at the hospital. Arizona says that we don't know that he can hear me, but we don't know that he can't. So, I talk to him. Tell him how things are going."

Rolling up next to her father's bed, she gestured for Sofia to take a seat on the plastic chair next to the bed. "Hey, Dad. I brought Sofia with me today. She's my foster sister. We sometimes play basketball at recess, and we went to the zoo last weekend. I think you would like it there."

Turning her head to Sofia, Riley asked, "Do you want to say anything to him?" Sofia hesitated, wringing her hands awkwardly, then whispered, "I mean, would that be weird? I don't exactly know him." Riley shrugged, "If he _can_ hear what's happening, he might think it's weird if you don't even say hi."

Taking a deep breath, Sofia began reluctantly, "Hello… Mr. Thomas. I'm Sofia…. Robbin Sloan Torres. Uh, thank you for having me in your room today. I hope you wake up soon." She paused, and turned to Riley, "Was that okay?" Riley nodded smugly, "I think it's fine. Hopefully when he wakes up, he won't hold your awkwardness against you."

Sofia scoffed defensively as Riley turned back to her father, "Alright, well, I'm gonna go do my homework with Sofia. I'll see you tomorrow, Dad. I love you." She smiled toward him, even though he couldn't see, and wheeled herself out of the room, Sofia following closely behind, relieved to be able to leave.

* * *

" _Momma! Mami!" Sofia cried excitedly, running toward her mothers gleefully. It was a rare day when they both got off from work promptly at 5pm, with no emergencies keeping one or both of them at the hospital late into the night. Which meant that they were both arriving to take her home. It was a rare and special day when Sofia Robbin Sloan Torres wasn't the last kid left in daycare—Callie and Arizona had paid the after school workers hundreds of dollars in overtime this year alone._

" _Hey bug!" Arizona smiled, scooping her five-year-old daughter into her arms as Callie leaned in and placed a kiss on her head before walking over to sign her out. They walked toward the car together as Sofia chattered excitedly about her day, "And I saw a lizard at recess! I tried to catch him but he was too fast." Callie nodded in understanding, "They are fast little guys. The trick is to approach them very slowly so that you don't scare them off." Sofia nodded seriously, "Okay, I'll try that next time."_

" _Just so long as you don't bring it into the house," Arizona reminded, as she buckled her daughter into the booster seat. While any sort of insects and reptiles gave her the creeps, her daughter had inherited a fondness for them from her other mother. Arizona found it cute most of the time, so long as none of the creepy crawlies ended up inside. "I know, Momma," Sofia said, her tone laced with annoyance, as if this was a tremendous hardship._

 _The drive home was quick, the car filled with Sofia's excitement. As they arrived at their house, their daughter remembered a question that had come up at school, "Do I have a dad?"_

 _Callie and Arizona froze, looking to each other with sad eyes as their daughter continued, "We're making Father's Day cards in class, and I don't know who to make one for. I mean, I know that I have two moms when most people just have one, but do I have a dad too?" The innocence of her question broke Arizona's heart, as she reached behind her and clicked her daughter's seatbelt undone, "Sofia, let's go inside and talk about it over on the couch, bug." She lead her daughter inside and through the living room, gently over to the sofa, where she sat on the end while patting the middle cushion to indicate that Sofia should sit there._

 _Callie solemnly took her seat on the opposite end of the couch so that her daughter sat between her two mothers. She was so guilty that her daughter didn't remember Mark. If felt like her fault. Sure, Sofia hadn't even been two when he died, but Callie still wondered if maybe she'd talked to her more about him, showed her his pictures, that she would remember. She knows that's what Mark would have wanted, but it had just been too hard. For a long time, Arizona had refused to talk about anything remotely related to the plane crash (for a while, she'd refused to talk period), and it was so painful for Callie to bring it up. But now the time had come. Her daughter had asked about her father and she deserved to know._

" _Sofia, you had a father. He loved you very much. But he died a few years ago, when you were really little," Callie said softly, placing a hand on her daughter's shoulder and trying to keep her voice even. Sofia's eyes filled with horror, "What happened? Was he in the army, like Uncle Timothy?"_

 _Arizona shook her head, swallowing the lump forming in her throat as she explained, "No, bug. He wasn't in the army. He was a surgeon, like Mami and me. He was flying on a plane to Idaho to do a surgery there, and the plane didn't work right, so it crashed," Arizona explained, her calm voice not reflecting her racing heart. Sofia's eyes widened in fear, "The plane crashed? Was anyone else on the plane?"_

 _Callie looked to her wife, who nodded, giving her silent permission to tell their daughter, "There were a lot of doctors on the plane, your Momma was one of them." Sofia's eyes filled instantly with tears as she instinctively wrapped her arms tightly around Arizona, clinging to her as if she might suddenly disappear._

" _It's okay, Sofia," Arizona whispered, hugging her daughter tightly. "Did you get hurt?" Sofia asked, her voice muffled against her Momma's chest. Arizona nodded, "I broke my left leg. And it got infected, so they had to cut it off." Sofia shivered in terror. She knew her Momma only had one leg, but it hadn't occurred to her that she at one point had two. That it was even possible to sever a leg from a body._

" _I don't want you to die, Momma," Sofia cried, shaking against Arizona. Callie reached over, patting Sofia on the head comfortingly, "Don't worry, m'ija. Your Momma's not going to die." Arizona glanced up at Callie—this was an area of parenting where they disagreed. Callie always tried to shelter her daughter from the harsher truths of life, but Arizona didn't like lying. Yet, in this moment, she couldn't bear to tell her daughter that sometimes life could change in an instant, that the people closest to you could be ripped away at any moment._

" _I'm not going anywhere, Sofia," Arizona cooed softly. "I'm right here."_


	12. Chapter 11

"Alright Riley. I just put in the pizza order, it should be here in about half an hour, which works out perfectly, because that's when Arizona and Sofia should be home from the Girl Scout meeting," Callie called out as she walked into the living room where Riley was sitting, looking at some pictures sitting on a shelf sitting agains the wall by the television. Callie paused as she watched Riley examine the pictures, mostly of herself, Arizona, and Sofia, studying them carefully, with a yearning to learn more about the family she was staying with. Callie pulled up a chair to sit with her.

"That one's from when we went skating for the first time as a family," Callie commented as Riley reached out a picked up a picture of Callie, Arizona, and Sofia all dressed in neon and wearing roller blades at the local skate rink. "That was also the first time Arizona went skating after her amputation. She's always loved skating, used to wear freakin' heelies around the hospital, so it was a big deal for her to be able to do that again." Callie finished her story and was pleased to see Riley smiling hopefully at the picture, running her finger gently over Arizona's prosthetic that was strapped into a roller blade. Arizona was leaning heavily on the side of the wall, but smiling from ear to ear. Callie couldn't help but smile at the memory, and hoped it would help Riley to see what she might be able to accomplish.

Setting the photo back down on the shelf, Riley reached for another picture. This one was of a much younger Arizona, clad in light green scrubs and standing next to a tall, blonde man with matching blue eyes and dimples. "Is this Arizona's brother?" Riley asked—the family resemblance was hard to miss. Callie nodded, "Timothy." Riley sensed there was more to the story than that, and looked up at Callie expectantly. "He was in the army, like Arizona's father and grandfather. He died in Iraq when Arizona was in the last year of her residency." Riley gazed sadly at the picture in her hands before returning it carefully to its place on the shelf. One by one, she picked up more frames, eager to hear the stories that Callie had to tell about them—Sofia's first day of school, Callie and Arizona dressed in matching red dresses at Bailey's wedding, the family of three dressed up as different colorful lizards for Halloween. Finally, they came across one of Callie, Arizona, and another tall, blonde man, all wearing pink gowns and gathered around a very tiny baby Sofia, who was laying in a cradle at the hospital.

"Who's he?" Riley asked curiously, studying the blonde man in the picture. Callie inhaled deeply as she looked at Mark's goofy smile frozen in the photograph, "That's Mark, Sofia's father." Riley raised her eyebrows in surprise, "Oh…" She seemed confused, then asked cautiously, "I mean, I thought you and Arizona were her moms."

"We are," Callie stated firmly, her voice holding no room for doubt. "Sofia's conception," Callie chuckled tensely, "Well, that's another story for another day. But Arizona has always been Sofia's mom. Even when Mark was alive, Arizona was just as much Sofia's parent as either of us." Riley nodded, the hesitantly asked, "So… how did he die?" Callie bit her lip and closed her eyes momentarily, causing Riley to worry she'd pushed too far, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked—"

"No, Riley. It's okay," Callie said gently, placing a reassuring hand on Riley's wrist. "Mark was in a plane crash. He and a group of other surgeons were flying to Boise for a surgery, and the plane crashed. They were stranded in the forrest for four days. Arizona was on the plane too; that's how she lost her leg. It was a bad break that got infected." Callie held back a shudder at the painful memory as she continued, "Anyway, Mark sustained a lot of internal injuries, and he was just never able to recover. Shortly after he was brought to the hospital, he slipped into a coma. And a month later, we withdrew life sustaining treatment, as he had requested." Callie stopped her story abruptly, afraid she had shared too much with the young girl. She didn't want to frighten her.

Riley looked away, her breath caught in her throat. She thought about her own father, who had been in a coma for far longer than a month. Finally, she mumbled, "Do you think my dad is going to die?" Callie felt a chill of dread run through her body. She wished Arizona was here to answer this question—she knew how to talk to kids about these things. Callie was not a pediatric surgeon, and had mostly only had these talks with adults.

She shoved away her protective instinct, which told her to lie and tell Riley that her father would be just fine—as tempting as that was, she knew it wasn't true. Instead, she approached this how she would a family member of a patient, "I don't know. But the longer he stays in a coma, the lower the likelihood that he will wake up." Seeing the despair break across Riley's face broke Callie's heart, and she reach out, grasping tightly to her hand, "I'm so sorry."

Riley shook her head fiercely, "I'm not ready. I'm not going to just give up on him." She looked at Callie with determined eyes, as if daring her to disagree. Callie nodded in understanding, "That's okay."

They sat in silence for a moment, before Callie heard Riley speak up once more, her voice so soft that she almost didn't hear her, "Thank you." Callie was taken aback, confused by this seemingly out of place expression of gratitude, "For what?" Riley looked up at her, with tears hovering on the edge of her big blue eyes, "I know you didn't have to take me in. Arizona didn't ask you, and you had every right to send me back, but you didn't, and… I never said thank you, but I should have."

Callie reacted instinctively, pulling Riley into a tight hug. "You don't have to thank me, Riley," she whispered into the young girl's ear, "You are not a burden. You are always welcome here. You don't have to thank me." She planted a kiss on her forehead, and was just about to pull away when she felt Riley throw her hands around her neck, clinging to her tightly as her body trembled.

* * *

 _Ten-year-old Arizona snuck out of her room early Christmas morning, her arms filled with three gifts to place under the tree. She had been up late the night before, putting the finishing touches on her clay creations and had woken up early to wrap them, meticulously selecting the news paper and shoeboxes to make them look the prettiest. While purchasing wrapping paper was technically allowed, Arizona had wanted to spend her entire allotted $10 on clay and paint this year. As she looked for a place for the third present, she heard the unmistakable sound of wheels on the hard wood floor barreling towards her from behind._

 _She turned around just in time for her brother to smash into her, sending them both toppling the ground, the roller skates he had received last night on Christmas Eve spinning in the air. Beneath her, Arizona heard an unmistakable crunch, and as she pulled herself to her feet, she was heartbroken to see her package smashed on the ground, the Christmas present she had worked so hard to make obviously crushed._

 _Biting back her tears of anger, she rounded on Timothy, who was looking at her apologetically. "Sorry, Zona," he mumbled guiltily, staring at his still spinning skates, but Arizona didn't want to hear it. "You broke it!" she shouted, forgetting in her rage that her parents were still asleep, "You're so stupid, you know you aren't supposed to wear those in the house!"_

" _Arizona Danielle Robbins!" her father's voice boomed from across the living room, and Arizona instinctively stood up straight, trying not to cringe when he looked at her with harsh, stern blue eyes. She stood still as a board, waiting for her father to come and ream her for waking him up, but her mother laid a hand on his arm gently, calmly indicating that she would handle it. Hesitating slightly, her father stepped back, letting her mother approach._

" _Arizona, you know better than to yell at your brother and call him names," she said sternly, her arms crossed over her chest as she looked down at her oldest child, whose her hair was done in tight braids and was wearing candy cane pajamas two sizes two small for her. Looking up at her mother with pleading blue eyes, she began to protest, "But Momma—"_

" _No buts," her mother stated firmly, nodding her head toward Timothy. After a moment's reluctance, Arizona mumbled, "Sorry, Timothy," in her brother's direction, refusing to look him in the eyes._

 _With a gentle nod, Barbara Robbins knelt down to her daughter's level, "Now, what on Earth were you so upset about this fine Christmas morning that you felt the need to scream and wake your father and I from our fitful slumber?"_

 _Reaching down to her feet, Arizona gently picked up the crushed parcel that she had been about to put under the tree. Placing it gently in her mother's hands, young Arizona looked up at her mother with tear filled blue eyes, "I made it for you, but he ran into me and broke it."_

 _Carefully, Arizona's mother unwrapped the gift, pulling away the newspaper to reveal a ceramic rooster, painted in different shades of pastels, crushed into three pieces. A wide smile filled Barbara's face, "Oh, bug. It's beautiful—"_

" _No, it's not," Arizona sniffed, tears spilling over the brims of her eyes and onto her cheeks, "It's broken. And you love roosters in the kitchen. And I just wanted to make you something nice this year, but I'm terrible at arts and crafts and then—"_

" _Arizona, stop," her mother commanded, gently cupping her daughter's face in her hand, "I love everything you've ever made me." Arizona laughed, shaking her head bitterly, "You don't have to lie, mom. I'm ten now."_

" _And clearly all grown up," Arizona's mother teased, but continued softly, "I'm not lying, bug. I love them because you made them for me, and you made them with love. That's more than enough for me."_

 _Arizona swallowed guiltily, thinking of the harsh word she had just screamed at Timothy even though she knew he hadn't run into her on purpose, and her mother continued, "So, why don't you help your brother get those skates off his feet while your father and I make some coffee, and then we can open presents and we'll glue this masterpiece back together."_

 _Arizona smiled, wiping her tears on her pajama sleeve, "Okay," she whispered, walking over to Timothy and gently unlacing his roller skates._

" _I really am sorry, Zona," he mumbled, looking at her clear blue eyes. She gave him a watery smile, "I know, Timothy. Me too."_

* * *

"So, you guys get your Christmas presents at a craft supply store?" Riley asked in confusion as Callie pulled into the Joann's Fabric and Crafts parking lot. Sofia tilted her head to the side, sucking her lower lip as she considered an answer briefly, "Not really the _presents_ , just the supplies to make them." Callie nodded, "Yeah, Arizona is a big fan of homemade gifts. But y'all remember to hint to her that I would _love_ some Bath and Body Works soap this year. Because no offense, but her DIY substitute just isn't _quite_ the same."

Sofia giggled, leaping out of the car and running around to open the sliding door ramp for Riley to roll out of, "Yeah, Mami. You've mentioned that like five times," she answered in exasperation, rolling her eyes. Callie nodded, "Just making sure you remember. Either vanilla—"

"Or lavender. We got it, Callie," Riley responded with a chuckle, wheeling herself away from the car as Sofia pressed the button, closing the door behind them.

"So, what exactly does Arizona like anyway? I'm not exactly crafty," Riley said, concern tingeing the edges of her voice. Sofia snorted, holding back a laugh, "You definitely don't need to be crafty. You could throw some pink glitter onto a piece of paper, and write 'I love you' in sharpie, and Momma would probably cry," Sofia muttered. "In a good way," Callie clarified, seeing Riley's eyes widen slightly. Relaxing, she said, "Oh, okay. So, got any ideas?"

"I was thinking clay this year," Sofia said thoughtfully. "Versatile, easy to work with, plus we can paint it, so it's doubly home made." Callie nodded approvingly, "Solid choice. Definite potential."

Arriving at the clay aisle, Sofia excitedly started pulling packages of clay off the shelves and tossing them into the cart. "Woah, slow down," Callie warned, "Remember, $20 limit." Sofia rolled her eyes, "I still don't get it, Mami. I mean, it's Christmas presents for _Momma_." Callie nodded emphatically, her eyes widening to drive home her point, " _Exactly_. This is part of the tradition, Momma wants it this way." With a sigh, Sofia placed two of the clay packets back on the shelf, "But she won't even know." Callie scoffed, "M'ija, let me remind you of a couple things. One: joint-checking account. Two: Momma _always_ finds out."

"Okay, let's go get some paint. We got enough clay?" Callie asked. Sofia nodded affirmatively, but Riley hesitated, "Actually, can we get one more package? It's just… I want to make something for my dad too." Callie's breath caught, but she shook it off, "Of course, Riley. Pick one out." Pulling a package from the bottom shelf, she tossed it smoothly into the cart and rolled from the aisle, "Alright, so next we have paint?"

Sofia nodded, "Yep! Over this way." She made her way down the hall, Riley rolling along closely behind her.

* * *

"What are you making?" Riley asked Sofia. It was a couple days before Christmas and they were sitting at the kitchen table molding their clay, newspaper spread over the surface in an attempt to contain the mess. Sofia tilted her head, examining the side of her piece, "Momma loves coffee, so I'm making her a mug with a salamander on the side." Sofia sighed in frustration, "But it keeps looking like a lizard." Riley raised an eyebrow, "I mean, they're pretty similar, aren't they?" The look on Sofia's face told Riley that they were _not_ at all similar and she raised her hands defensively, "Okay, fine! They aren't the same!"

Sofia laughed good naturedly, "It's fine. I know you're not a reptile and amphibian enthusiast like I am, so I'll let it slide." Looking at Riley's cylinder, Sofia squinted, trying to decipher what it was, "So, what are you making?" She finally asked, giving up on guessing. Riley smiled, obviously proud of herself. "I'm making candlesticks, to put the candles Arizona got for Callie from Bath and Body Works in." Sofia's eyes widened, "That's brilliant!" Riley beamed, "I thought so, too."

"Is that your last gift?" Sofia asked, looking at the candlesticks that sat drying, waiting to be painted. Riley nodded, "Yeah, I wrapped up the rest yesterday. You?" Sofia nodded, "Yeah. I finished my others while you were at PT on Tuesday. They're under the tree."

Hearing Callie walking toward the kitchen table from the bedroom hallway, Sofia yelled, "Don't come in Mami! We're still making presents!" Callie sighed, whining back, "M'ija, it's been over an hour and I'm hungry!" Sofia wouldn't relent, "We're still working. You'll ruin the surprise."

Callie sighed dramatically, "I'll just cover my eyes." Sofia hesitated, but reluctantly agreed, "Fine, but no peeking!" Callie didn't respond, just headed into the kitchen one hand covering her eyes as she comically bumped into the counter. When she finally reached the fridge, she turned her back to the kitchen table, opening the door and reaching inside, grabbing a Tupperware container from the fridge and opening it, sniffing the insides. "What day did we have lasagna?"

Riley responded instantly, "Tuesday, it was after my physical therapy appointment." Callie counted off on her left hand, "Four days, this should still be good." She put the lasagna into the microwave for two minutes. Turning toward the table, Sofia lunged forward to block their artwork from view, "Mami, I said no looking!"

"Sorry, sorry!" Callie said, bringing a hand up over her eyes, "I didn't see anything. I promise." Sofia sighed in relief, "Okay, good."

Just then, the sound of a key turning in the lock traveled through the house and the front door opened. Arizona entered, causing Sofia to cry out, "Momma, don't come in the kitchen! We're making presents!" Arizona acted as if she didn't hear her, walking straight into the kitchen. "Momma!" Sofia protested, once again hiding the presents from view with her body, but Arizona uncharacteristically ignored her daughter, walking directly over to Callie, "I need to talk to you."

Callie was about to protest as her stomach growled, but when she removed the hand from her eyes, she took one look at her wife's pale face and distressed expression and instantly nodded, taking her hand and following her into their bedroom, closing the door behind them.

"What's going on?" Riley asked Sofia, clearly worried. She had never seen Arizona that upset before and it scared her. Sofia shrugged, "Probably a rough day at the hospital. It happens sometimes. Sick kids and all." She went back to her mug, trying to act casual, but she was admittedly worried as well. Her mother did seem pretty distressed.

The microwave beeped and they waited for Callie to come fetch her long awaited lasagna, but it remained abandoned in the microwave. The two girls silently worked on their clay projects, trying to pretend this didn't bother them.


	13. Chapter 12

It was nearly a half hour later when Callie and Arizona emerged from their bedroom. Riley and Sofia had both finished their gifts and Sofia had brought them both into her room to let them dry discretely. They were now sitting together on the couch, watching _Cupcake Wars._ "Oh, Florian's not going to like this one. A Gatorade cupcake? What's this guy _thinking_?" Riley commented, rolling her eyes. Sofia laughed, "Yeah, he's done."

They stopped talking when they saw Callie and Arizona approaching them solemnly, sad expressions frozen on their faces. Their eyes looked slightly red. Sofia grabbed the remote, pausing the television, "What's going on?" Callie and Arizona looked at each other, as if asking themselves what to say. Finally, Callie turned to face them, "Sofia, could you go to your room please?"

Sofia's face scrunched with fear, "Why? What did I do?" Arizona pushed her cheeks up into a weak smile, "Nothing, bug. We just have to talk to Riley." She was about to protest, wanting to hear what was happening, but she took one look into Callie's pleading eyes and gave in, clicking the TV off and walking to her room, closing the door behind her.

Riley looked up at Callie and Arizona fearfully, dread filling the pit of her stomach. The two of them sat next to her on the couch, one on either side, positioning their bodies to face hers. After a moment of thick silence, Arizona finally spoke, "Riley, your father died today."

Riley sat silently, the words not entirely registering. "What?" she finally asked dumbly, not quite believing that this could be real. Taking a deep breath, Arizona continued, "Your father is dead. And I am so, so sorry."

Shaking her head, Riley looked up at Arizona, her eyes wide and desperate, "No, he was fine. I saw him yesterday, and he was _fine_. I don't understand."

"He wasn't fine. He was in a coma. And sometimes people can be in a coma for a long time and then die suddenly," Arizona explained, working to keep her voice clear and level, feeling Callie's eyes watching her sadly. She reached for Riley's hand, but Riley yanked it away, "No! He's _fine_. He was supposed to be fine. He was supposed to wake up. You said he might wake up—"

"Riley—"

"No!" she screamed, tears filling her eyes and a sob escaping from her mouth. Arizona instantly leaned forward, pulling Riley into a hug. The young girl fought against her for a moment, before sinking into her, sobs shaking her small frame.

"He was supposed to wake up," she cried defeatedly against Arizona's chest. Callie stood, placing a hand soothingly on Riley's arm as Arizona whispered into her ear, "Shhhh…. We've got you. We're right here."

* * *

Sofia sat silently on her bed, unsure of what to say. "So… where's Riley now?" she asked Callie, who had just informed her of Riley's father's death. After listening helplessly to Riley's cries from the other side of her bedroom door, she had suspected that was what had happened, but somehow, hearing it seemed like a shock all the same. She couldn't imagine how Riley must be feeling.

"Momma took her to the hospital," Callie responded softly, "Riley wanted to see him." Sofia shivered involuntarily; despite all the time she spent in the hospital, she had never seen a dead body, and she didn't ever want too. It seemed creepy.

"So, what do we do?" Sofia asked her mother. Callie shook her head, reaching out and brushing Sofia's hair behind her ear, "There's not much we can do, except be there for her." Nodding, Sofia looked up at her mother, "How do we do that?"

Callie laughed humorlessly, shaking her head in defeat, "I don't know." She shook the tears out of her eyes and looked to her daughter again, "But I think you'll know."

"Okay," Sofia said. After an uncomfortable moment of silence, she said to Callie, "I think I want to go to bed now. I'm tired." It was a lie. She wasn't tired, she just didn't want to sit here awkwardly and continue talking to her mother about this tragedy, not knowing what to do or how she should feel. Callie nodded solemly, "I love you, m'ija," she whispered, placing a kiss on the top of her daughter's head. "I love you too, Mami," Sofia mumbled, laying back on her bed, relieved, when she heard her mother closing the door, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

* * *

 _Pushing on her coffee maker, which held a to-go cup poised underneath the drip for precisely a situation like this, Arizona stumbled to get her scrubs on in the dim light of the bedside lamp in her studio apartment, just a few short blocks from the hospital. She had only gotten four hours of sleep before her pager woke her up at 2am. And after working for nearly 30 hours straight, four hours of sleep was not nearly enough, but it would have to do. As she clumsily hopped into her sneakers, she heard what sounded like a knock coming from her front door._

 _She ignored it at first, assuming it was just a noise from outside or her sleep deprived brain causing her to imagine sounds in her apartment. But then it came again, three loud unmistakable knocks on her front door. It was confusing—who was knocking on her door at 2am? Stumbling over to the door, she yanked it open, freezing in terror at the sight before her._

 _Two men stood solemnly, dressed in class A military garb. "Good evening. I am Captain Michael Coleman from Company A, 3_ _rd_ _Battalion, 27_ _th_ _Ordinance, from Fort George G. Meade, Maryland. Are you Dr. Arizona Robbins?" the one standing on the left asked her quietly. She nodded numbly. "I have an important message to deliver from the Secretary of the Army. May we come inside, Dr. Robbins?" he asked, and she wordlessly stepped aside, allowing them to enter her small apartment. They stepped inside, closing the door behind them. Arizona began to shake with dread. She knew the army didn't send 2am messengers with good news.  
_

 _Some part of her brain heard her coffee machine beep, indicating that it had finished brewing, but she made no move to go and get it. She crossed her arms protectively over her chest. Biting her lip as she prepared for the news she desperately hoped these men were not going to give her._

" _The Secretary of the Army regrets to inform you that your brother, Timothy Robbins, was killed in action near Baghdad on February 17. He was killed by an explosion from a roadside bomb. The Secretary extends his deepest sympathies to your and your family during this tragic loss."_

 _Arizona closed her eyes, inhaling sharply and wrapping her arms around herself even tighter, as if to shield herself from the blow he'd just delivered. The only discernible emotion she could feel was shock._

" _Do.. do my parents know?" she mumbled numbly, grasping for her chair and shakily lowering herself into a seat at her dining room table. The soldier nodded, "Yes. Your parents were informed shortly before we arrived." She nodded; she could feel her body trembling. She felt as if the wind had been knocked out of her._

 _The man on the right stepped toward her, taking a seat across from her at her dining room table. "Is there someone I can call for you?" he asked gently, looking toward her with empathy._

 _Her mouth had gone try, and she found it difficult to speak. Finally, she managed to push out the words, "I'm a surgeon. The hospital … They just paged me. Can you call them and let them know I'm not coming in today?" The man nodded, "Yes, we can take care of that." Arizona nodded in appreciation, wordlessly reaching over and grabbing her cell phone, dialing the phone number of the hospital and handing it to the officer to make the call._

 _She sat silently while he made the call, unable to take in what was happening around her, until the soldier at the table spoke to her again, forcing her from her wandering, muted thoughts, "Dr. Robbins?" She turned abruptly to look at him, her eyes wide. "Is there anyone else we can call for you? To be with you?"_

 _Arizona racked her brain, her parents were on the other side of the country, as her father was currently stationed in California. She had friends at the hospital, but none that she felt she could share this with right now. But then, the answer came to her, "Nick. My friend, Nick. He lives a couple hours away." The officer nodded, locating the number in her cell phone and making the call while Arizona sat mutely at the table, trying not to listening, unable to bear the thought of Nick learning of this loss._

" _He's on his way. Is there anything else we can do for you?" the officer asked her. Arizona looked at her lap, shaking her head slowly. There was nothing more they could do. There was nothing anyone could do._

 _The officer seated next her to at the table got to his feet, and informed her, "Dr. Robbins, I must be returning to Fort Meade. Again, on behalf of the Secretary of the Army, please accept the United States Army's deepest condolences." She didn't acknowledge his statement and they didn't wait for a reply, solemnly walking out the door and shutting it behind him._

 _It wasn't until she heard the click of the lock that she felt tears forming in her eyes and slipping down her cheeks, slowly at first and then all at once. An ugly sob escaped from somewhere deep within her throat and she let herself sink to the floor, shaking uncontrollably with deep, sorrowful cries._

* * *

Riley felt numb as Arizona pushed her through the halls of the hospital, nearing closer and closer to her father's room. She had been here so many times over the past few months, and yet, tonight, the path felt unfamiliar, as if it were part of a dream.

When they finally reached her father's room, Arizona paused to open the door. "Wait," Riley said, her voice hollow. Arizona stopped, releasing the doorknob and turning back, walking around to stand in front of Riley's wheelchair. She squatted down so she was eye level with Riley, a gesture Riley usually found condescending, but in this moment, she was desperate the closeness and sensed that Arizona knew this. "We can wait as long as you need," she said softly placing her hand on Riley's knee. Riley couldn't feel the touch, but grabbed Arizona's hand, squeezing it tightly.

"Okay," Riley said, facing forward and looking straight ahead. Pulling herself to her feet, Arizona opened the door to the room, before walking around and pushing Riley inside. The stillness was overwhelming. The machines that surrounded her father for months, filling the room with beeps and whirrs and pumps were gone, and there was only the bed now. A sheet covered Riley's father's body, and Riley felt almost nauseous looking at it, dreading looking underneath it.

Stopping Riley's wheelchair right beside the bedside, Arizona walked around, her hands hovering over the sheet, looking to Riley for her consent. Riley gave a small nod, closing her eyes as Arizona slowly pulled back the covers.

Mustering up her courage, Riley finally pushed her eyes open. She was surprised to see her father, lying peacefully on the bed in front of her, as if he was sleeping. She had grown so accustomed to seeing him with all the tubes and wires that for a second, she thought that maybe he _was_ just sleeping, that in a moment he would wake up and give her his wide smile, inviting her to sit on his lap, telling her he missed her. But he didn't, and he never would again.

Arizona took a step back, "I can give you some time with him." She moved to walk away, but Riley's hand reached out instinctively to stop her. "Please don't leave," she choked out desperately, her voice deep and ragged. Arizona pushed back the tears forming in her eyes and placed a supportive hand on Riley's shoulder, "Of course. I'm right here."

Feeling Arizona's hand clutching her shoulder securely, Riley reached out and grasped her father's hand, pulling it toward her. She was shocked by how cold it was, how heavy it was to move, but she held on anyway, bringing it toward her and holding it tightly between both of her hands. "I love you, Dad," she whispered, tears filling her eyes.

After a moment, she dropped her father's hand. Suddenly overwhelmed, she looked to Arizona, "I don't want to be here anymore." Arizona nodded, "Okay, we'll go." She pulled Riley slowly away from the bed and pushed her from the room. Riley stared at her lap, determined not to look back. She had said goodbye, and now she had to leave.


	14. Chapter 13

_It was nearly 8 o'clock at night and Arizona was rushing through the line at the Johns Hopkins Cafeteria. She had just scrubbed out of a 5 hour exploratory surgery on a four year old girl and she had 20 minutes to scarf down dinner before heading into her tumor resection on an eight year old boy. Hopefully after that, she would be able to head home and get a few hours rest before her shift started early the following morning._

 _Feeling her phone vibrating in her pocket, she set her tray down on an empty table and answered it, holding it to her ear with her left hand while she shoved some pasta in her mouth with her right. "Hey mom." Arizona mumbled in between chews, swallowing before continuing, "I only have a few minutes before my next surgery. What's up?"_

" _Arizona! How are you doing?" her mother's cheerful voice came from the other end of the line. Arizona shrugged in ambivalence, even though her mother couldn't see the gesture, "I'm alright, mom. Just busy. Can I call you back?" But Barbara Robbins continued on, ignoring her daughter's request to postpone their phone call, "How are things at the hospital?"_

 _With an impatient sigh, Arizona answered shortly, "It's busy, mom. We're understaffed and we've got tons of surgeries." Her mother hummed thoughtfully, and Arizona could feel that she was preparing to broach a certain topic, one they'd discussed many times, "Mom, now really isn't the best time, can I call you—"_

" _Arizona," her mother interrupted, "Your brother is flying in tomorrow for Christmas, and I just think it would be wonderful if you could come by sometime. It would really mean a lot to us all—"_

 _Groaning with frustration, Arizona interjected, "Mom, you're in California. I can't just drop in. I doubt I could even get a flight at this point." But her mother wasn't giving up, "Of course you can get a flight! If it's the money, you know we could pay—"_

" _Mom, it's not the money and you know it!" Arizona shot back, feeling her anger beginning to boil, "I have to work. I'm a surgeon—I can't get Christmas off every year, and it's my fifth year of residency." Hearing a sigh from her mother fueled her anger further, "I've told you this so many times! I can't get the time off, especially not now. It's over. I'll call you all Christmas morning if I get a break."_

 _As she stuffed another bite of pasta into her mouth, her mother tried another tactic, "Well, Timothy's staying for a couple of days afterward. How about you come then?" Rolling her eyes as she swallowed, Arizona tried to stay calm as she repeated her explanation, "Mom, I can't get the time off. And I need to focus on my work right now anyway—"_

" _Timothy is deploying to Iraq again in February. Who knows when we'll get another chance to spend Christmas together?" her mother pleaded, her voice wet with tears. Arizona slammed her fork down on the table, causing a couple cafeteria guests to look over at her in alarm, "Don't you think I know that, mom? Don't you think I want to come? I want to come! But I just can't make it happen right now, so if you would stop making me feel even more terrible about that fact, I'd really appreciate it." Arizona was practically shouting by the time she finished, tears hovering by the edge of her eyelids._

 _The phone line was silent for a moment before her mother spoke again, her voice softer, "Arizona—"_

" _I've got to go, Mom. I have surgery," Arizona mumbled before hanging up her phone. Finding suddenly that she was no longer hungry, she tossed out the remainder of her uneaten pasta before storming from the cafeteria toward the OR._

* * *

It was a somber Christmas morning. It was the first Christmas that both Callie and Arizona had been able to take off in years, yet no one was in much of a mood to celebrate. Arizona had questioned whether they should even _have_ a Christmas morning, with present opening and hot chocolate and all of their happy, celebratory traditions, yet Callie had insisted that they do it anyway. "We should try to provide a sense of normalcy. And we can't very well cancel Christmas for Sofia." Arizona had admitted she was right. But that didn't make this Christmas morning any less depressing.

"Oh, Riley, these are beautiful," Callie praised, holding the candlesticks that she had made her, "And so clever. They'll go perfectly with the candles Arizona got me." She smiled genuinely at the young girl, but Riley just nodded, pushing her lips upward in a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes and barely lasted a second. Arizona nodded in agreement, "And I love the coasters you made me. You know how I hate rings on the coffee table." The words hung in the air, and Arizona almost winced at the tension. It might have been a funny comment if everyone weren't so sad.

"I love the ipod, moms. Thanks," Sofia added; she really did—she had been asking for one for months, but felt guilty expressing her enthusiasm when Riley was so sad. Arizona smiled appreciatively, "You're welcome, bug." Riley glanced in Callie and Arizona's direction, not meeting either of their eyes, "Yeah… thanks."

"You're welcome, Riley," Callie added softly, looking back under the tree. "Well, I think that's all the presents—"

"Wait, I see one more," Sofia commented, crawling over and pulling a round, flat package from the back. Looking at it, she froze. She hesitantly looked up at Arizona, her worried eyes asking her Momma silently for help. Taking the package gently from her daughter, Arizona looked at it, grasping it tightly in her hands, before softly reading the label. "To Dad, From Riley."

She looked to Riley, sitting in the in her wheelchair with her eyes fixated on the gift. Arizona tried to mitigate the pain of situation, "I can put this away for you—"

"No, give it to me," Riley demanded sharply. Arizona slowly sighed, placing the present gently in Riley's lap. The young girl violently ripped off the paper, staring mutely at the dish in front of her, unable to move. She had made him a plate, painted his favorite shade of blue. She had been so proud of the smooth curves and even surfaces she'd been able to make, but now it seemed like a lopsided pancake, coated with globs of uneven blue paint. She had made it less than a week ago, yet it seemed like a lifetime away. A time when she had dared to imagine her father waking up, eating food she'd made for him with Sofia while he recovered off of this stupid plate. It now felt so silly and naive.

She lifted the plate above her head, an in a quick, jerky motion, hurled it harshly at the ground, where it shattered just below her feet. Sofia gasped in shock, and Arizona and Callie looked at her with worry as she quickly wheeled off to her room, slamming the door behind her.

* * *

 _It was nearly midnight on Christmas Eve when Arizona finally arrived at her Seattle apartment. Having started her Pediatric Surgical Fellowship at Seattle Grace only a few months before, she was stuck working all the holidays—she had to be back at the hospital at 6am. Hopefully an emergency wouldn't call her back before then. It was just as well, though. She wasn't exactly filled with holiday cheer this season. She just wanted to keep working, keep moving, and maybe then, she wouldn't have to think about how it was her first Christmas without Timothy._

 _When she opened her front door, she was surprised to find the lights already on in her apartment. She wondered if she had forgotten to turn them off, but that would have been very unlike her. When she turned to her living room, she nearly lept out of her skin when she saw two people sitting on her couch. "Ah!" she cried, jumping about a foot in the air and dropping her purse on the floor. But when she got a closer look, she saw that it was her parents, sitting there waiting for her._

" _Sorry," her mother said, stepping slowly toward her daughter, "We didn't mean to scare you." Opening her arms, Barbara Robbins pulled her daughter into a hug, which Arizona reluctantly returned. Pulling away, Arizona looked from her mother to her father, three sets of sad, blue eyes staring uncomfortably until she broke the silence, "What are you doing here? I told you I have to work tomorrow—"_

" _We had to see you, Arizona," Barbara whispered, her voice thick and her eyes watering. Arizona sighed heavily. She was so tired. "I have to go to bed, I have an early shift tomorrow—"_

" _When will you get off?" her mother asked urgently, but Arizona just shook her head, unable to look her at her parents, "I don't know. Probably late. The hospital is short staffed, and kids still need surgery on Christmas—"_

" _Well, maybe we can see you on your break?" her mother suggested hopefully. Arizona shook her head, "Mom, I don't even know if I'll have a break, much less when it will be. Unless you want to just sit around the hospital all Christmas—"_

" _We can do that," Barbara insisted, pleading with her daughter. Arizona looked up into her father's eyes as he starred at her. There was something there she hadn't seen before—desperation. It was too much. "You guys shouldn't have come. I told you not to come—"_

" _Arizona, please—" the Colonel begged, but Arizona cut him off, talking back to her father for maybe the first time in her entire life, "No! I told you not to because I will have a busy, stressful day tomorrow, and I had a busy, stressful day today, and I just don't have the energy for company—"_

" _We aren't company, we're your family!" Barbara pleaded, tears now streaming down her face, "It's Christmas and we wanted to see our daughter. And we didn't see you last year—"_

" _Don't," Arizona spat painfully, tears hovering on the edge of her eyes as she began to tremble. She didn't want to think about that, the last chance to spend Christmas with her brother that she would never get back. Barbara looked at her daughter, empathy radiating from her face, "Oh, Arizona—"_

" _I can't do Christmas this year, Mom. I just can't," Arizona whispered thickly, her lower lip quivering like a child as the tears building in her eyes overflowed onto her cheek, one after another. "Oh, bug," Barbara whispered lovingly as a sob escaped Arizona's lips and she covered her wet eyes with her right hand. In an instant, Arizona was wrapped in her mother's arms—she felt her mother shaking with her own sobs as she held her tightly. A moment later, she felt her father's sturdy hand resting on her back, shaking slightly as well._

" _He should be here," Arizona wept mournfully, choking on her tears as she spoke. She felt her mother nod against her, "He should be here."_


	15. Chapter 14

_It was cold that morning in the airplane hangar near Arlington National Cemetery, as Arizona stood with her parents. The three of them were dressed all in black, shivering as they waited together, silently. She couldn't help but wish that Nick was waiting here with her—he had been by her side since driving down that horrible night the week before. But her father said that this should be family only, and she wasn't about to argue with the Colonel. Certainly not today._

 _She heard the roar of an engine landing on the runway, and it grew as the plane approached, taxiing its way into the airplane hanger. She saw her mother grasp her father's hand tightly. She knew she should reach out to them, let them know she was here, but she couldn't seem to do it. Her arms were crossed firmly over her chest and she didn't think she could move them if she tried._

 _Finally, the plane stopped in front of them, and a conveyor belt was pushed toward it, placed precisely under the cabin. Opening the hatch, a ramp agent pulled out a coffin, draped with a flag, and centered it on the conveyor built, which brought it slowly downward. It was met by six men in uniform, their feet marching continuously in unison as they grasped its handles with care._

 _It didn't seem real—the ritual and the flag. It was like a performance, a dance of some sort and she was a member of the audience. And soon, the play would come to an end, and this nightmare would cease. She watched them push the coffin, which they said contained her brother's body, into the open hearse. She had wanted to see him, but they said his body was mangled beyond recognition, ripped apart by the explosion. Torn so violently that not even a surgeon could put him back together. So she would never see his body, and she would never really know if this all wasn't just some cruel fiction._

 _The door of the hearse closed with a click that echoed throughout the hangar. Arizona felt a hand on her back, and turned to see her teary eyed mother looking at her, telling her it was time to go to the cemetery for the interment. She followed numbly, hearing her footsteps echo through the hangar._

* * *

"No, Daddy. No!" Riley mumbled in her sleep, her arms thrashing in her sleep as her upper body tossed and turned. "Nooooooo!" she screamed, jolting up in bed. Callie rushed into the room quickly, switching on the light as she entered, "Riley? Honey, what's wrong?" she called out, her voice panicked. Riley tried to catch her breath, "I… bad dream," she choked out, a couple of stray tears falling from her eyes. She hastily swatted them away.

Arizona entered a minute later, using her crutches, her empty left pant leg flopping beneath her, "What happened?" she asked, her voice filled with concern. Callie sat on the edge of Riley's bed, "Just a bad dream." But as she placed her hand on center of the bed, she felt moisture. "Riley, honey…" pulling back the covers gently, Callie revealed a puddle of urine soaking into the sheets underneath Riley's legs.

"Oh," mumbled Riley looking away as new tears of embarrassment welled up in her eyes. Arizona's face radiated sympathy, "Honey, it's okay. Why don't you let Callie help you get cleaned up?"

"Can you help me, Arizona?" Riley asked shyly, still unable to look at Callie. Attempting to hide her hurt, Callie tried to explain neutrally and gently, "Well, babe, Arizona can't really help from crutch—"

"It's okay," Arizona said gently, looking to Callie sympathetically, "I'll go put on my leg. Can you wait about 5 minutes, Riley?" The girl nodded guiltily, finally looking up, from Callie to Arizona, "Sorry…"

"Don't worry about it," Callie said softly, gently placing a kiss on Riley's head as Arizona left to don her prosthesis.

* * *

"How's she doing?" Zola asked Sofia from their lunch table at school, sneaking worried glances at Riley from across the cafeteria. Riley's hadn't eaten with them since her father died over a month ago. She sat by herself, sometimes reading, sometimes listening to the ipod Callie and Arizona had gotten her for Christmas, always alone. Sofia shrugged in defeat, "I don't know. She barely talks. Sometimes she'll talk with Momma, but that's it. She's barely said two words to me since it happened."

Zola could tell that Sofia was upset about this and looked at her sympathetically, "Just give her some time, Sof. I mean, her dad died," she said softly. Sofia looked upward, trying to contain her frustration, "I know, but is this normal? The not talking for so long? I mean, it's been a month. When does she start acting normal again?" Sofia asked, knowing her words sounded immature, but not caring enough to hold them back.

Zola sighed, "I don't know." Sofia looked up at her friend, "I don't think you were like this when your dad died, were you?" Zola raised her eyebrows, "I don't remember, really. I was only four. I mean, I have a few memories of him, but I don't remember when he died. I don't think I really understood what was happening." Sofia nodded, sniggering to herself, "Plus your mom kinda went crazy for a year and moved you across the country." Zola forced a laugh, though she wasn't sure she found it funny.

Staring intently at Riley, Sofia kept talking, "I wonder if I was like this. You know, when my dad died." Zola shook her head, "You were what? Two? Do you even remember him at all?" Pausing briefly, Sofia shook her head, "No, I don't."

Zola watched Sofia tear off the crust of her peanut butter sandwich, deep in thought for a moment. She finally muttered, almost too quiet to hear, "Maybe it's better. Not remembering, not feeling sad. You can't miss someone you don't remember." Sofia didn't respond to that. She sat quietly for the remainder of lunch, rolling her discarded sandwich crust into tiny balls.

* * *

Callie sat on the far right cushion of the couch in the attending's lounge, with one leg resting on the coffee table in front of her and her head lolling back against the wall as she snored lightly. Just then Meredith entered the room, and seeing Callie, walked over to her, observing the scene in front of her with a mix of concern and amusement. Finally, taking a seat next to her friend, Meredith tapped her lightly on the shoulder, "Callie?"

Jostling awake, Callie mumbled, "I'm up. I'm up," turning her head to face Meredith, who was watching her cautiously, a bemused look on her face, "Hey, overnight shift last night?"

Callie shook her head, blinking the grogginess from her eyes, "Riley's having nightmares." Meredith exhaled sympathetically, "Oh, poor girl." Callie shook her head, running a hand through her hair, "I don't know what to do. She barely talks to anyone. She's having nightmares almost every night," she paused, lowering her voice discretely even though they were the only two in the room, "She's been wetting the bed."

Meredith sighed, "Losing a parent, it's hard." Callie nodded, standing up in exasperation, "I know it's hard. But how do we know when it's hard that she'll get through and hard that we should be worried about? I mean, are we doing enough?" She looked to Meredith, "I mean, when Derek died, what was it like for Zola? I know she was little, but did she understand what was happening?"

Meredith shrugged sadly, "I'm not sure how much of it she understood. She cried for a bit, but it was intermittent. She knew she missed her father, but I don't think she understood at the time that he wasn't coming back." Callie placed a hand on her forehead, covering her eyes.

Sitting back down on the couch, she rested her elbows on her knees and held her head in her hands, "She talks to Arizona, but not to me. When she … at night, after she wets the bed, I offer to help her get cleaned up, but she _always_ asks for Arizona, even though she knows it means she has to wait for Arizona to put on her leg." Leaning back against the couch, Callie continues, "It's like… she _openly_ favors Arizona—"

"Callie—"

"I know! I know it sounds petty because she just lost her dad and she's ten, and I'm an adult. I'm one of her guardians. She needs to come first, and if she wants Arizona, that's who she should get but…" Callie stopped, exhaling slowly as she leaned forward and folder her hands in her lap, "We haven't talked about making this… situation permanent. But I know that's what Arizona wants."

Meredith paused, choosing her words carefully, "And is that what you want?" Callie didn't answer. She closed her eyes and shook her head, waiting almost a minute before finally responding, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I don't know."

* * *

Sofia knocked softly on Riley's bedroom door. She waited a few moments before slowly entering, knowing she likely wouldn't get a response. Riley was sitting on her bed, her arms crossed over her chest tightly, staring at the opposite wall. Sofia walked tentatively toward the bed, finally taking a seat on the opposite edge of the bed, near Riley's feet.

"I'm worried about you," she said finally, staring at her hands as she continued, "You just, you aren't talking and you stopped sitting with us at school and—"

"What do you want?" snapped Riley, her eyes still focused on the opposite wall, intentionally avoiding looking towards Sofia. With a slow sigh, Sofia continued, swallowing her anxiety, "I just, I wanted you to know that you can talk to me."

Riley scoffed, rolling her eyes, "What do you know?" Sofia was taken aback by the bitterness in Riley's voice and she struggled to keep her own voice calm. "My dad died. I mean, I was a baby, but I know—"

"No, you don't," Riley bit back, finally turning to look Sofia in the eyes. Flustered, Sofia backtracked, "I mean, I didn't mean that I know _exactly_ , but I—"

"You know _nothing_!" Riley shouted, her hands clenched into fists and her eyes filled with rage, "You didn't know your dad! You didn't lose anyone! He didn't mean anything to you!"

Sofia felt anger boiling in her chest, her eyes tearing up as she responded, "He wasn't _nothing_ —"

"GET OUT!" Riley screamed, pointing toward the door aggressively, "GET OUT, NOW! I DON'T WANT YOU HERE! GET! _OUT!_ " Hearing the noise, Arizona entered from the other room, "What's going on in here?" But Sofia has already pushed past her, storming off to her room.

"Sofia, wait!" Arizona called after her. Sofia stopped walking, but didn't turn around. From behind, she felt Arizona place a hand, gently on her back, "Bug, she's grieving."

Sofia shrugged Arizona's hand away and spun around angrily to face her mother, hot tears streaming down her face, "I can't believe you." Surprised by her daughter's fury, Arizona looked on in bewilderment, "Sofia—"

"No, Momma, just stop! You _always_ take her side! And I'm tired of it. So, just leave me alone," Sofia yelled, flailing her arms desperately to make her point. Arizona stood in shock, feeling as if the wind had been knocked out of her, "Sofia, I don't always—"

"Yes, you do! So, just leave me alone," Sofia shouted, and not waiting for a response, turned and ran toward her room, slamming the door behind her.

Arizona stood motionless in the hallway. Seeing Callie approach from the kitchen, having come in from the porch once she heard the shouting, Arizona held her wife's gaze for a moment, before releasing a defeated sigh and walking toward their bedroom.


	16. Chapter 15

"Okay, we're leaving in five minutes, so hustle!" Callie called through the house as she finished applying her mascara. Arizona had been paged to the hospital earlier that morning, leaving Callie tasked with getting Riley and Sofia to school by herself that morning. Sealing her mascara and tossing it back onto her bathroom counter, she made her way to the living room, grabbing her purse and tossing things into it on her way there.

Just then, she felt her purse vibrating, and she reached in and grabbed her cell phone from the outside compartment. Looking at the caller ID, she realized it was Riley's social worker and picked up immediately, "Hello, this is Callie Torres."

"Callie, this is Erin. How are you doing this morning?" the voice on the other end of the phone asked warmly. Callie sighed, "I'm okay. We're kind of about to run out the door." Erin responded politely, "Well, if I've caught you at a bad time…"

Callie peaked into Sofia's room, and saw her daughter was still dressed in pajama bottoms. "I have a few minutes. What's up?" Callie answered, making her way back into her bedroom and closing the door for privacy. Erin continued, "I wanted to first check in and see how Riley was doing, with the death of her father." Callie exhaled slowly, shaking her head though she knew Erin couldn't see, "I don't know. She's been having a hard time, you know?" Erin murmured sympathetically, "I can imagine. And you and Arizona?"

After a moment's hesitation, Callie responded vaguely, "We're doing the best we can with it." She didn't want to elaborate too much. Erin responded quickly, "Oh, I'm sure. It must be difficult for all of you." Callie laughed humorlessly, "Yeah, you could say that."

"So, I was actually calling because you and Arizona had originally agreed to take Riley as a temporary placement. It was an emergency placement at the time and I know you had requested that we actively search for other options," Erin summarized calmly. Callie paused, sensing where the conversation might be heading, "Yes, that was correct at the time."

"Is it not how you feel any longer?" Erin asked neutrally. Callie responded quickly, "We haven't discussed it. Especially with Riley's father—"

"Of course. I just wanted to let you know that another placement family has become available, if you would still like her moved from you home. We obviously want what's best for Riley. In spite of everything, she seems comfortable in your home and if you've reconsidered making this a more permanent placement, maybe even considered adoption, that's an option we'd like you to have," Erin explained calmly.

Callie sat silently on the other end of the phone, taking in everything Erin was saying. She knew this day would come, when she would have to address this with Arizona, but she thought she'd have more time. After a few moments, Erin continued, "You and Arizona should talk about this and call me back with your decision. Ideally, sooner rather than later."

"Mami, we're ready!" Sofia called from the hallway, annoyance tinting her voice. Callie shook herself from her anxious thoughts, "Yes, of course. We'll talk it over and let you know."

Hanging up the phone, Callie left her room and went to meet Sofia and Riley where they were waiting in the living room. "Who were you talking too?" Sofia asked, her voice a mixture of curiosity and impatience.

"Consult," Callie lied swiftly. "Now let's go before you're late for school," Callie stated frantically, ushering the two girls out the door and into the car.

* * *

" _How often are you gonna check that?" Amelia asked Arizona, walking into the Chief Resident's office and hopping onto the couch, kicking her feet up on the far leg. Arizona didn't look up to acknowledge her, only mumbled, "You know, this is the chief resident's office. It says so on the door. It's not just a second break room." She said this practically every day, but Amelia always ignored her—she knew Arizona liked having her around. Especially since her brother had died four months ago, Arizona threw every spare minute she had into her work, and Amelia liked to check up on her, make sure she was eating and talked to a friend at least a couple minutes a day._

" _Ugh, why is it taking so long to load?" Arizona groaned in frustration, waiting for the webpage to refresh again. She had taken her boards a couple of days ago and the results were due to be posted today. She hated the waiting—it was tortuous._

 _Amelia sighed from her space on the couch, "I don't know why you're worried. I'm sure you passed. You're the best surgical resident at Hopkins, of all places—"_

" _You know I've been off my game, since…" Arizona let the sentence linger, there was no need to finish it. Amelia knew she meant "since Timothy died." Amelia shrugged sympathetically, trying to offer words of encouragement, "Maybe. But even off your game, you're still one of the best, and you know—"_

" _Oh my god!" Arizona cried out, throwing her hands to her mouth and jumping up from the desk. Amelia leapt up to her side, "What? What is it?" Turning to her friend and beaming, Arizona exclaimed, "I passed!"_

 _Amelia pumped her fist in the air, "Yes! See, I knew it!" She immediately pulled Arizona into a tight hug, which the normally closed off resident usually resisted, but today, she gratefully accepted the gesture, clinging back with glee, "I can't believe it."_

" _Seriously?" Amelia muttered incredulously, causing Arizona to shake her head, "No, I just mean… I'm a surgeon!" She continued to cling to Amelia, until Amelia felt her beginning to tremble beneath her. Pulling away, Amelia saw tears streaming down Arizona's face. Her expression immediately clouding with concern, Amelia asked, "Arizona?"_

" _Sorry," muttered Arizona, hastily wiping the tears from her cheeks. "It's just…" her face crumpled into a sob as she continued, "I'm a surgeon. I've been waiting and working toward this day for so long, and…he should be here."_

 _Feeling tears fill her own eyes, Amelia instantly pulled Arizona back toward her, feeling her sob against her shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Arizona," she whispered, rubbing her back gently, "He should be here."_

* * *

Entering the on-call room after getting a 9-1-1 page from Callie, Arizona turned to to where her wife was waiting for her, eyes filled with concern. "What is it? What happened?" Arizona asked somewhat frantically, walking up to Callie. Her wife gestured to the door, "Lock it." Raising her eyebrows, a hesitant smile crossed Arizona's face, "Wait, so you want to…" she played with the edge of her scrub top seductively. Callie paused for a moment, waiting for Arizona to continue, confusion apparent on her face. At once, realization hit her and she blushed awkwardly, "Oh, no. Not now."

Arizona instantly clasped her hands together sheepishly, looking toward the ground and Callie clarified softly, "No, I mean, I would love to. God knows we're overdue with everything going on. And you look…" She shook her head, continuing, "But I need to talk to you." Arizona nodded, clicking the lock on the door before bringing her eyes up to meet her wife's and waiting for Callie to continue.

Working to keep her voice calm and neutral as she delivered the information, Callie began, "Riley's social worker called me this morning." Arizona's eyes widened, clearly concerned by that information as she waited impatiently for Callie to continue. "And?" she asked pointedly, crossing her arms over her chest while Callie struggled to figure out how to address the next part. "Callie, please just spit it out. You're starting to scare me."

"Sorry, sorry. She said that …. If we were still interested, she has found another placement for Riley," Callie blurted out in a hurry, the words stumbling from her mouth in a rush. Arizona closed her eyes, shaking her head, "And what did you say to her?"

Callie inhaled slowly, "I said that we would talk about it. Which is why I called you in here." Biting her lip, Arizona looked up at Callie in disbelief, "You're actually considering it? Sending her away just a month after her father died? Callie, we're all she has, we can't just abandon her—"

"I'm not saying we would _abandon_ her," Callie clarified calmly, "But Erin implied that if we aren't planning on making this permanent, it would be better to move her sooner rather than later. Which makes sense." Callie tried to stay calm; she had expected this reaction from Arizona, but it didn't make it any easier.

Arizona seemed at a loss for words, staring up at the ceiling, "I didn't realize you were still considering _not_ making it permanent." She looked at Callie, tears hovering at the edge of her eyes, "Callie, she's _ours_ , she's a part of our family—"

"And you just decided this?" Callie scoffed incredulously, feeling her own frustration bubbling just beneath the surface, "Arizona when you just hijacked our lives—"

"Hijacked our lives? Really Callie?" Arizona bit back, but Callie talked over her, "We said that it wasn't permanent when we took her in, and once again, you seem to have changed your mind for both of us."

Arizona threw up her hands in frustration, "I thought we were on the same page!"

"You can't just _assume_ that, Arizona! You have to _talk to me_!" Callie shot back, her hands resting firmly on her hips.

"Fine," stated Arizona, presenting her hands out in front of her, " _I want to adopt her_." She stopped, letting the words hang out there. It had been building for weeks inside of her, and they both knew it, but now it was out in the open for both them to see. Inhaling deeply, as if the confession had left her winded, she looked up at Callie, crossing her arms protectively over her chest, firmly but softly posing her next question, "What do you want?"

Callie looked away, staring at a spot on the corner as she pondered. She looked to Arizona, pleading with her to understand, "I don't know," she whispered apologetically.

Shivering at her wife's whispered admission, Arizona looked at her pleadingly, "What don't you know? _Why_ don't you know?"

Callie drew in a shaky breath as she gathered her thoughts, trying figure out the best way to articulate the mess in her brain, "It's not that I don't care about her, or that I don't like her. It's just, it's a lot. We're talking about adopting a _child_ , Arizona, and a child with special needs—"

Arizona's eyes widened with horror, "It's really about the wheelchair? It's because she's disabled?" Callie shook her head firmly, trying to backpedal her response, "No, it's not the wheelchair. It's just one potential issue—"

"I don't see why her disability should be an _issue_ at all," Arizona responded firmly, but Callie shrugged, "It's not, but it is a factor we should consider."

"Callie, _I am disabled_. Am I less worthy of love?" Arizona demanded with eyes filled with rage and hurt. Callie groaned in desperate frustration, "Arizona, _no_. You _know_ that is not what I'm saying—"

"Then what are you saying, Callie? Because that's what it _feels_ like you're saying—"

"I'm just saying that it could be difficult. I mean, you can't help her without your prosthesis on—"

Arizona scoffed, "Oh, so now I'm incapable of taking care of my children?"

"No, that's not what I'm saying!" Callie insisted desperately, tears of frustration beginning to form in her eyes. She was saying this all wrong, and this conversation was quickly spiraling in a direction she had never intended. "Look, forget the wheelchair. It's not really about that—"

"Well, it seems like it is. It was the first thing you mentioned," Arizona stated bitterly, causing Callie to throw up her hands, "I'm just worried that maybe she's the not the best fit for our family right now. She's barely even speaking to me or Sofia at the moment—"

"She's grieving—"

"Yes, I know that but what if we're not the right people—"

"I love her, Callie!" Arizona cried, tears streaming down her face, "I love her _so much_."

They stood staring at each other for a brief moment until they were interrupted by a harsh beep from Arizona's pager. Looking down at the page, she mumbled, "9-1-1 in the PICU. I've got to go." Hastily wiping the tears from her eyes, she rushed from the on-call room, slamming the door behind her and leaving Callie standing in shock. She buried her head in her hands and let her own tears fall, unsure of how to fix their situation.


	17. Chapter 16

It was nearly midnight when Arizona arrived home, having been stuck at the hospital in back to back emergency surgeries all day. Slipping quietly into the house, she locked the door behind her, peaking into Sofia and Riley's rooms to see both of them sound asleep. Slowly, she made her way into her bedroom, where she saw Callie sitting up in bed, reading a book, clearly waiting up for her. It didn't surprise her, given their on-call room fight earlier that day. But while most days Arizona would be grateful for this gesture, today, she was just too exhausted.

Closing the bedroom door softly behind her, Arizona began to undress, stripping off her clothes and tossing them haphazardly into the hamper before slipping into her pajamas. She swiftly made her way to the bathroom, brushing her teeth and washing her face before turning off the bathroom light and heading over to her bed, all the while avoiding Callie's gaze. As she was doffing her prosthesis, she felt Callie shift beside, turning to face her before speaking cautiously, "Arizona, it's really not about the wheelchair."

Inhaling deeply, Arizona closed her eyes. With her back still turned to her wife, she sighed, "Callie, please. I've been up since 3am. I can't do this tonight." There was a moment of tense silence before she felt Callie roll away from her. With a defeated sigh, Arizona pulled herself under the covers, and turned off the light, staring at a spot on the wall opposite her and trying to forget the day.

* * *

Riley sat at the kitchen table in the morning, waiting for breakfast and reading one of Sofia's Harry Potter books. Arizona was moving frantically around the kitchen, trying to pack lunches and fix breakfast all at the same time. As two slices of toast popped up, she grabbed them frantically, smearing them with strawberry jam and walking them both over to the kitchen table, placing one in front of Riley and one at an empty place next to her. "Sofia! Breakfast!" she called out, continuing to move about the kitchen, pouring herself some coffee into a to-go cup and taking a sip.

Sofia walked out into the kitchen, plopping herself down at the table and taking a bit out of her toast. When she saw Riley absorbed in her copy of _Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire_ , she snatched it from her hands. Riley looked at her in shocked indignation, "Hey, give it back! I was reading that!"

Sofia shook her head, "It's mine, and you can't borrow my books anymore." Riley sighed dramatically, reaching over to grab it back, but Sofia easily moved it out of her reach. "Give it back! Arizona!"

Looking up from the kitchen, Arizona sighed in frustration, "Sofia, give it back. That wasn't nice."

"No," said Sofia petulantly, "It's mine, and you can't make me—"

"Stop being a brat!" Riley snapped, causing Arizona to shoot her an exasperated look, "Riley, don't call her that. Sofia, I want you to share—"

"I don't care what you want! It's my book!" Sofia insisted stubbornly. Callie walked into the kitchen, a look of concern crossing her face, "What's going on in here?" But Arizona had already walked over to the table, grabbing he book from Sofia's hands. Looking up at her mother in horror, she whined, "Momma! You can't do that—"

"I can and I will. If you can't share then neither of you get it," Arizona said firmly, "Now go get ready—"

Both girls protested vehemently, Riley crossing her arms and shouting, "Arizona, that's not fair! I was reading it!" At this point, Callie stepped in to back Arizona up, "Girls, listen to your mother and go get dressed."

"She's not my mom! And neither are you!" Riley shouted back, her eyes blazing with anger that stopped both Callie and Arizona in their tracks. Shaking off her momentary shock, Callie countered, "Well, we're responsible for taking care of you right now, so you're going to listen to us. Understood?"

"Whatever," Riley grumbled, wheeling away from the table and into her bedroom to finish getting ready for school. Sofia followed suit, picking up her toast and trudging off to her room, leaving Callie and Arizona standing mutely in the kitchen.

"Arizona—" Callie began, but Arizona ignored her, heading off to finish getting ready for work.

* * *

" _It's been three days," Arizona stated, as she and Timothy skated down the road toward their house, the autumn leaves falling around them onto the smooth, suburban sidewalk. Timothy shrugged, "I mean, the Colonel isn't exactly a talkative guy. Maybe—"_

" _Maybe what, Tim? Dad walked in on me and Joanna kissing, and you really think he has nothing to say about that?" Arizona snapped, causing Timothy to throw up his hands defensively, propelling himself forward ahead of her, "Alright, calm down Zona," he made a smooth 180 degree turn to face her, braking with his toe and stretching out his arms to stop her, "I get what you're saying."_

" _Do you, though? I mean, what if he kicks me out?" Arizona responded, the anxiety that had built over the last couple days beginning to surface. Timothy raised his eyebrows and looked at her seriously, "Do you really think he would do that?" He asked with concern, his dropping adolescent voice cracking on the lilt of the question._

 _Arizona shrugged, gently pushing him aside so that she could skate past into their driveway, skidding to a stop in front of their porch steps where she sat down, "I don't know what to think. I mean, you've heard his opinions on Don't Ask, Don't Tell. He's not exactly pro-gay."_

 _Timothy nodded as he rolled up next to her, lowering himself onto the porch step as he tried to comfort his seventeen-year-old sister, "If he was gonna kick you out, don't you think he would have done it by now though?"_

" _I don't know," Arizona mumbled, trying to keep the fear out of her voice. She sighed and continued, "I just feel like I'm letting him down—"_

" _Zona, you don't really think that. I mean, it's not like it's your fault," Timothy insisted earnestly. Arizona shook her head, "It's not just the gay thing. It's like—I can't join the military, I'm not gonna have kids—"_

" _Wait a minute. I'm pretty sure gay people can have kids. Sure, it's not super common, but you can adopt, and do that thing where the embryo is implanted in your womb—"_

" _Okay, stop talking about my womb," Arizona cut him off with a roll of her eyes, "I know I can have kids, I just don't think I want them. You know, the responsibility of taking care of someone else like that." Timothy sat quietly for a moment as his sister began unlacing her left skate, and pulling it off her foot._

" _I don't know, Zona. I've always pictured you with kids. I just think you'd be a great mom," Timothy stated with surprising sincerity. Arizona looked at her fourteen-year-old brother, perplexed, before finally responding, "Well, think what you want. But that's a ways away anyway." He continued to hold her gaze with surprising intensity, before shaking it off, pushing himself to hist feet._

" _Well, I'm gonna go to Nick's place. He's got a new Nintendo," Timothy said, trying to sound casual. "Wanna come?" Arizona shook her head, "Nah, I got homework. Lucky for you, though, because I'd kick your butts." Tim laughed, offended, "Would not!" But he knew that she was right; Arizona was much better at video games than either of them. He waved good bye and skated down the street as she picked up her skates with her left hand, pulling herself on the banister with her right and turning to head inside._

 _Entering the silent house, Arizona was about to head up the stairs to her room when she saw her father sitting in the corner, staring in her direction. Slowly, hesitantly, she walked toward him, taking a seat in a chair across from his in the living room._

 _They sat silently for several minutes; Arizona was trying to find words to form—something, anything to say to him. She was desperate to know what he was thinking, but she was too nervous to speak. Finally, her father asked, "Are you still who I raised you to be?"_

 _Arizona looked into his clear blue eyes, swallowed the lump forming in her throat and nodded, hoarsely whispering, "Yes, sir, I am. I promise."_

 _He nodded, looking at his daughter before finally reaching out and taking her hand in a rare display of affection, "Then we're okay."_

 _Tears welled up in Arizona's eyes and she willed them not to fall, squeezing her father's hand in return, "Yes, sir."_

* * *

"I just don't know what to do," Callie said dejectedly as she took a sip from her coffee and looked over to where Cristina was sitting at the cafeteria table across from her. "Arizona's barely said two words to me in the past three days. She can't even _look_ at me. And Riley and Sofia are still not getting along." Letting out a long sigh, Callie shook her head, "I mean, what are we going to do? She wants to adopt her and I'm just … not sure?"

Cristina pursed her lips, watching Callie carefully as she took a bite of her pasta, before finally responding, "Yeah, that's a difficult situation." Callie rolled her eyes, "Yeah, thanks a lot." Cristina shrugged defensively, "What? It is. I don't know what else to tell you."

Callie shook her head angrily. "She said she thought we were 'on the same page,'" she sneered bitterly, using air quotes to emphasize her dismay at Arizona's words. "How can she have thought that? And how can she just assume that I'm going to be okay with just adopting a kid? Just because she wants to? It's a big freakin' decision, one that both parties should be involved in! Don't you think?" Cristina nodded, "It would ideally be a shared decision," she stated calmly, causing Callie to scoff.

Looking over at Cristina, she shook her head in annoyance, "You know, I have to admit. I kinda thought you would be on my side. With everything that happened with Owen, it seems like you of all people would want me to have a say in this. I mean, I seem to recall you saying that you think that you can't compromise on having a kid."

Cristina pondered, but eventually shook her head, "I did say that. And I meant it. Still do. You should have a say. But Callie, it's different than it was with Owen."

Callie shrugged in frustration, "I guess—"

"No, Callie, it _is_ ," Cristina continued, "With Owen, it was about having kids in the abstract. And yes, he wanted kids and I didn't, and that was enough for it to be a deal breaker, but with you and Arizona… this isn't about _if_ you want kids. It's about if you want _this specific kid_. And she's already gotten attached, and in some ways, you have too. It's just… it's different."

Callie sighed, her anger dissipating, leaving only fear and dread in its wake, "Maybe you're right." She swallowed the rest of her lukewarm coffee in a couple big gulps before slowly bringing herself to her feet. "I'll see you later, Cristina," Callie mumbled before turning an heading out of the cafeteria, tossing the paper coffee cup in the trash as she left.

* * *

"Alright, I'm about to enter the frontal lobe," Amelia informed the OR as she focused on removing the carcinoma from the brain of the nine year old laying on her operating table. Arizona was there to assist, monitoring her vitals as Amelia worked. "Oh, she has beautiful margins. Don't you, little malignant tumor you," Amelia cooed at the tumor. Arizona rolled her eyes in exasperation, waiting for Amelia to finish her work.

"Got it," Amelia called out triumphantly. "Okay, now we can close. Forceps?" she instructed, reaching out her hand as the scrub nurse handed the instrument to her. Arizona sighed, "You know, it's creepy when you talk to tumors so affectionately." Amelia laughed, "Creepy, but endearing?" Amelia teased, but Arizona didn't respond. "What's up with you?" Amelia asked, her voice tinged with light annoyance.

Arizona sighed, "Nothing, just keep working please?" Raising her eyebrows, Amelia responded, "Okay. Spill. What's up?"

When Arizona didn't answer, Amelia started venturing guesses, "Riley? Callie? Sofia?" Arizona shook her head with a sarcastic laugh, "All of the above." Amelia waited, and Arizona knew that she wasn't about to drop it, so she reluctantly kept talking, "Callie doesn't want Riley living with us anymore."

"Woah, she said that?" asked Amelia incredulously, and Arizona shrugged, "Well, no. Not _exactly_ , but I don't know." Inhaling quickly, Arizona continued, "Riley's social worker called and said there was another placement option, and Callie thinks we should consider it. And I just… _can't._ "

Amelia nodded, "I mean, you can't exactly make this decision without Callie—"

"I _know_ that, but we _can't_ give her up. Especially not right now. She's so hurt and withdrawn, and she's _just_ starting to open up to me, and I'm just worried what would happen if we abandoned her right now," Arizona said, distress creeping into her voice. "Not to mention I… I just… I _can't_ ," Arizona finished softly, already feeling like she had told Amelia too much.

"Okay, I get it," Amelia answered calmly, meticulously applying the sutures to the tissue. A sly smile crossing her face, "Hmmm, grieving by herself, withdrawn, remind you of anyone?" Arizona looked at her in anger, "Really? Now?"

"Sorry," Amelia answered, still smiling softly, "I just was wondering if you might be projecting a little."

"So what if I am?" Arizona shot back indignantly, "It doesn't mean I'm wrong." Amelia sighed, "True." Pausing as she focused on her stitches, she finally continued, "Look, I'm sure if it's right, Callie will come around. It's not like she said no flat out. Just give her time."

Arizona pondered silently as Amelia finished closing, her anxiety brewing. It only had been a few days, but she just didn't know what she would do if Callie said no.

* * *

Callie arrived home from the hospital just after 8pm. She dragged her heavy feet over to the dining room table, dumping her purse in a pile on the hard wood surface. She spotted a pink post-it note from Arizona, letting her know that dinner was in the fridge. While it was a gesture she appreciated, as she hadn't eaten since noon and was starving, she also figured it meant that Arizona, once again, wasn't in the mood to talk to her tonight. It had been more than three days since their screaming match in the on-call room, and her wife had been avoiding her the whole time. Not that she was ready to talk either, but the whole situation just felt like it was getting worse.

She was about to head over to the fridge to serve herself some left overs when she heard her wife's voice coming from down the hall, "I'm worried about you." Looking up with curiosity, she followed her wife's voice, realizing it was coming from Riley's bedroom, where the door stood slightly ajar. She quietly approached, standing outside so that she could listen.

"You don't have to worry about me," Riley snapped aggressively, but Arizona continued firmly, "Your teachers say that you won't participate in class and you're barely speaking to Callie and Sofia. You're barely talking at all—"

"I talk to you," Riley whispered softly, pausing a moment before continuing, "Isn't that enough?"

Callie heard her wife inhale deeply before responding gently, "You can always talk to me. You know that. But I'm not the only one who cares about you." There was a moment's silence before Arizona continued, "When my brother died… I shut practically everyone out. My parents, my family, my friends, they all wanted to help, but I wouldn't let them. My best friend Nick was the only one I talked to, and I even pushed him away sometimes. And then, he had to leave and go back to his job in New York, and… well, I'm just saying—"

"That maybe I won't be able to stay here?" Riley spat, and though her voice was hard, it quivered unmistakably with hurt and fear. Callie's heart clenched in shame. Arizona responded instantly, "Riley, _no._ " Taking in a shaky breath, Arizona continued firmly, "You are a part of this family. You will always be welcome here." Callie heard her wife place a kiss on top of Riley's head before she continued, "I just wish you would let Callie and Sofia be family to you, too."

"Do you really think they want to?" Riley asked quietly, her voice wet with tears. Arizona responded instantly, "Yes, I do." Her voice was firm, with no room for doubt.

Having heard enough, Callie headed quietly back toward the kitchen so that Arizona wouldn't know she had been eavesdropping. She wanted to be angry with Arizona. After all, her wife had, in a way, just lied to Riley, giving the girl reassurance that she wasn't entitled give, especially considering the fight they'd been having over the past few days. But the anger didn't come; all she felt was guilt and sadness. Finding that she was somehow no longer hungry, she headed slowly into the bathroom and went to take a shower, hoping the hot water might wash away some of the stress and pain from the last couple of days.


	18. Chapter 17

After a long, hot shower, Callie slowly entered her bedroom, switching off the bathroom light quietly behind her. Her wife was already in bed with the lights off, so she put on her pajamas in the dark, even though she knew Arizona was still awake. She could tell just by her breathing, and by the absence of her light snores. She crawled into bed beside her wife, staring up at the wall above her head.

"Arizona?" she whispered into the darkness. Arizona didn't respond, but Callie knew she was listening, so she continued anyway. "I love Riley, I do. But I don't… I don't feel for her what I feel for Sofia. I'm scared that she's not my daughter, and she can't be." Her confession hung in the silence, and shame filled her, creeping in deeper every second that Arizona remained silent. She cringed; her wife must think she was absolutely _horrible_. But finally, Arizona responded, far more gently than Callie had expected, "It takes time, Calliope. Give it time. Give _her_ time."

Callie wished she were comforted by those words, but she wasn't. Rolling over in bed to face her wife, she looked desperately at Arizona's silhouette; she was motionlessly staring up at the ceiling, as if deep in thought. Finally, Arizona spoke, "I'm sorry. I know I haven't been fair to you. This has all been moving so fast, and I should have been communicating more. But…" her voice broke and Callie thought she saw a glimmer of tears shimmering in her wife's upturned eyes, "Please, Callie. Please give her time."

Callie shook her head as her own tears fell, "But what if it doesn't happen? What if she never feels like mine?" Not bothering to wipe away her tears, Callie continued bravely, her voice strained, "What if I don't have the open heart you do? To raise and love someone like a child who isn't my blood?"

Slowly, Arizona rolled over to face her wife, gently placing a hand on her cheek and wiping away her tears, "Calliope, how can you even think that? You have the most beautiful open heart I've ever seen." Looking sincerely into Callie's eyes she says, "Give it time."

Callie nodded as Arizona rolled back over to her side of the bed. In a few minutes, Callie heard her light snores begin, indicating that her wife had finally fallen asleep. But she just continued to stare up at the ceiling, unable to close her eyes.

* * *

Callie parked her car at the curb in the center of the cemetery. She hadn't been here in a while, and was almost surprised that she remembered exactly where to go in the winding maze of the cemetery roads that all looked so similar. And yet, how could she forget? Reaching over and grabbing her purse and the bouquet of flowers laying on the passenger seat, she opened her car door and stepped outside. It was sunny, but the air was cool and crisp. She walked onto the moist grass, slowly glancing at the identical headstones, counting them as she passed.

When she finally reached it, she felt the tears welling up in her eyes. It had been almost eight years, and yet it sometimes didn't quite feel real. She slowly lowered herself onto the wet grass, crossing her legs as she placed the flowers gently in front of the grave, placing a hand on the headstone lovingly as she finally spoke, "Hi Mark."

The headstone, of course, was silent. The only sounds were the wind in her ears and the chirps of some birds watching from up in the trees. But Callie continued anyway, convincing herself that Mark really was listening, from somewhere, even though he couldn't respond. "I know it's been a while since I've visited. It's been crazy lately." She shook her head as she continued, "I don't know if you've been watching, but Arizona and I want to have another kid. And we took in this foster child." Callie snorted, before adding, "Well, _Arizona_ took in this foster child. She didn't exactly run it by me." Callie took a deep breath, "But that's not the problem now. I mean, maybe it sort of is. It was kind of a thing for a while, but I moved past it…. At least, I thought I had."

Taking one of the flowers from the bouquet, she began twirling it in her hand as she continued, "Anyway, it was initially a temporary placement, because her father was in a coma. Though, honestly, he'd already been in a coma for over a month, so we were really just kidding ourselves if we thought he would ever wake up." She laughed humorlessly, looking at Mark's tombstone, "I guess you know that more than anyone."

Resting her hand on her knee, she went on, "Well, as anyone could have guessed, the dad croaked." Callie felt a cringe of guilt at the cavalier way she said that, but somehow talking with Mark meant taking on a certain tone. Brushing it off, she went on, "And, it was hard. It's been hard for all of us. I mean, this girl's been living with us for a while, of course we're going to get attached," Callie mumbled, hugging her knee to her chest and resting her chin on it as she continued, "But now, Arizona wants to adopt her. Which, I guess I should have seen coming, even though she never actually _talks_ to me about any of this."

She closed her eyes, feeling a lump beginning to build in her throat. "She loves her," Callie whispered, opening her eyes and looking to the sky as a single tear rolled down her face, "I mean, Arizona. She just _really_ loves this kid. Riley." She sniffled as another couple of tears made their way down her cheeks, "And I'm just worried that if we don't adopt this kid, if I can't do it, that Arizona will never be able to forgive me." She scoffs, wiping the tears from her eyes, "I mean, in Arizona's eyes, Riley is already _hers_. How I can force her to give up _her_ kid? Not after she made Sofia her own, even after well, how she was conceived."

Callie stifled a sob, burying her head in her knee, overwhelmed by the situation, "And I love her, Mark. Riley, I really do love her. But I don't feel like she's _mine_. And Arizona says it will come. She has this faith that it will just _happen_ , if I give it time. But what if it doesn't?" Her sobs intensified as she continued, "And if that's how I feel, what if Riley feels the same way? I mean, if she doesn't feel a connection to me, then I shouldn't be her mom."

She sat like that for a moment, sobbing on the grass in the middle of the cemetery. When her cries finally subsided, she wiped her nose on her sleeve, looking desperately at Mark's tombstone, "So, no advice, huh?" she joked. She sat there waiting, trying desperately to listen to whatever Mark might be telling her, if he could tell her anything.

And she felt it, after a moment. It was a feeling in her bones that felt as clear as if he had literally spoken to her. And while it rarely happened when he was alive, she laughed to find that Mark agreed with Arizona, "Give it time, Torres. Give her time."

* * *

 _Callie woke to whispering early in the morning. Her groggy mind quickly identified the quiet voice as belonging to her girlfriend, Arizona, who was sitting up next to her in bed. She was about to respond, to tell Arizona to speak up, when she realized that her girlfriend wasn't addressing her, but rather, she was addressing her stomach. Callie wanted to smile, but didn't want her to stop. When it came to matters of their growing child, Arizona's affection for the fetus could sometimes seem like a small bird—easily frightened away if startled._

" _Hey bug," Arizona whispered into Callie's stomach, and Callie swelled with warmth at the affectionate name her girlfriend had given their child. "I know you heard your mother and I arguing last night. Well, let's be honest. The idea that a fetus can hear, much less understand, a conversation is about as ridiculous as the idea that corpses can but… but I don't want to take chances with this one." She paused, before continuing, "Besides, according to Nick, talking to dead people is for the living, so maybe this is the same thing. Not that you're dead; you're clearly very much alive. But... I guess what I'm saying is that I need to say this. For me. Because I couldn't sleep last night thinking about you growing up and not understanding this."_

" _I know you heard me say that this isn't my dream," Arizona paused and Callie felt her breath catch. Those words still echoed in her head so clearly. They had swum through her anxious dreams that night. Her girlfriend took a deep breath before continuing, "I didn't mean that. Well, maybe I did, in a way. But, you, little bug," she inhaled sharply, and continued, her voice wet, "You are perfect. You are a piece of Calliope, who I love so much. And I see how much she loves you, how much she's always loved you. So how could I not love you?"_

 _She continued, sniffling into her sleeve and gently placing a kiss on Callie's bulging belly, her lips just barely gracing her girlfriend's skin, "You aren't what I dreamed, but you're even better."_

 _Sitting up, straighter, she spoke up more, her voice no longer a whisper, "So, when are we going to let your mother know that we know she's been listening this entire time?"_

 _Callie's eyes shot open, momentarily guilty at being caught, but that feeling vanished when she saw her girlfriend's loving blue eyes staring back at her. Sitting up, she pulled Arizona's face to hers, kissing her on the lips before pulling her into her arms, and holding her tightly, the two only separated by the bulge of their growing baby between them._

* * *

"Sofia, will you please grab Riley's backpack from the car?" Arizona asked as she assisted Riley out of the car. Sofia crossed her arms over her chest, "That's not my job."

"Just do it, please," Arizona instructed sternly, "And please watch your tone." Rolling her eyes, Sofia climbed back into the van, emerging with Riley's purple backpack in hand. Tossing it carelessly onto Riley's lap, Sofia began to walk into school, but stopped when she heard the voice of a parent talking to Arizona.

"Oh, do you need help with your daughter?"

Sofia turned around, about to shout back at this nosy parent that they were doing just fine and that she could mind her own beeswax, but froze when she realized that this woman wasn't referring to her, but to Riley, whose wheelchair had gotten stuck on the ramp of the car. Sofia felt her blood running hot when Arizona didn't correct the stranger's mistake, "No, we're okay. Thank you."

As she freed Riley's chair from the ramp, Arizona's pant leg got caught on one of the hinges of her leg, revealing her prosthesis for this stranger to see. Arizona tried not to cringe as she saw the woman's face fill with pity and concern, "You know," she continued, even though no one had asked her, "Should you really be doing this by yourself?"

Arizona tried to keep her anger in check as she addressed this woman, "And what do you mean by that?" Blushing, the stranger stuttered out an answer, "Oh, I just mean as a …handicapped yourself, don't you need some help with this? I mean, I'm sure your husband could come with you to drop your daughter off at school."

Arizona's face flushed with anger, and she was just about to put this woman in her place, when she heard Sofia call out from behind her. "She's not her daughter. Being a gimp isn't genetic, you idiot!" Sofia spat, glaring at the woman with her hands balled into fists of rage. Arizona's jaw dropped; she felt as if someone had knocked the wind out of her, "Sofia Robbin Sloan Torres!"

The stranger quickly walked away, as Sofia stared at the ground, her hands still clenched in fists anger. When Arizona didn't speak, she attempted to turn around and walk into school, but her mother grasped her arm firmly, "Oh, I don't think so."

"Momma, I'm gonna be late," she mumbled through gritted teeth, but Arizona shot back, "I don't care. You know better than to use language like that. Now, you will apologize to Riley and to me right now—"

"No, I won't!" Sofia yelled, her brown eyes glaring at her mother as she shook herself free from Arizona's grasp. Arizona's blue eyes filled with rare anger, and she snapped, "Get into the car." When Sofia didn't move, she shouted, "Now!" Sofia stomped off toward the car, flinging the passenger door open and hopping in, slamming it shut behind her.

"Riley, go on in," Arizona said calmly, kissing Riley on the top of the head as Riley nodded, wheeling her way through the front doors. Arizona closed her eyes and counted to ten to calm herself down before walking over to the car, and entering through the front door, looking toward her daughter who was sitting with her arms crossed angrily over her chest, staring intensely out the window. She ignored Arizona's presence, continuing to focus her eyes in front of her.

"Okay, start explaining, " Arizona demanded, turning to face Sofia as she waited. When Sofia didn't respond, she instructed more harshly, " _Now_."

Sofia looked down her lap, sucking in an angry breath before responding, "She's not your daughter." Arizona exhaled in a terse huff, "Okay, and why did a stranger's assumption make you so angry that you felt the need to use such a terrible word to refer us?" Sofia shrugged, continuing to stare at her lap. "I want an answer," Arizona stated firmly.

"I know you're thinking about adopting her," Sofia mumbled, still staring at her lap. Arizona pondered how to respond to that, but Sofia didn't wait for her to explain, "But she's not your daughter. _I'm_ your daughter."

"Of course you are," Arizona affirmed softly, but Sofia kept talking over her, her voice growing hoarse and strained, " _I'm_ your daughter, but no stranger would ever stop and assume that, because I look nothing like you." Arizona sighed sympathetically, "Sofia, you know that doesn't matter to me—"

"Then why would you just bring home this other kid who somehow looks just like you? And she likes country music and hates riding camels and she's even disabled. You didn't pick her because you wanted a kid who was more like you?" Sofia asked, angry tears finally falling from her eyes as she looked up at her mother. Arizona's face softened as she reached out to her daughter who pulled away, "You never wish that I was more like you?"

"Sofia," Arizona said gently, her eyes filling with tears as well, "You are _perfect_ just the way you are. I would never wish for you to look like or be anything but you, bug. And I certainly don't love you any less because you aren't biologically related to me. I can't imagine loving anyone in the world more than I love you."

Sofia shook her head, as the tears continued to fall, "But you love Riley." Arizona paused, then nodded, "Yes, I do." Flinging her hands in front of her, Sofia cried, "Why did you want another kid? Wasn't I enough for you?"

Arizona sighed, bring her eyes up to the ceiling to hold the tears in her eyes as she listened to her daughter sob in the seat next to her, "Sofia, do you know why I wanted another child? The biggest, most present reason?" Sofia shook her head, refusing to look at her mother as she continued to cry.

"It's because," Arizona continued, forcing herself to smile through her tears, "I wanted you to have a sibling. Bug, some of the most wonderful parts of my life were the parts I shared with my brother, Timothy. And I wanted you to have to have that, _so much_ ," Sofia sniffled softly. Though she still refused to look at her, Arizona knew she was listening, "There are so many things I love about Riley, just like there are _so many_ things I love about you. And one of the things I love about Riley is that I think she could be such a wonderful sister for you, Sofia."

Sofia looked at Arizona, her eyes still angry and filled with tears, "I didn't ask for a sister." She grabbed her backpack, opened the door and lept from the car, heading into school before Arizona could stop her.

As sob escaped Arizona's throat as she watched her daughter go. Inhaling deeply, she told herself the mantra she had been pleading to Callie for the last several days, "Give her time."


	19. Chapter 18

Callie was waiting outside the elementary school when the final bell rang, and kids began rushing out only seconds after. She saw Riley wheeling her way down the ramp—the girl saw her and looked confused as she approached, "Hey Riley! How was school?"

Riley shrugged, "It was fine, I guess." The girl muttered, wondering if Arizona had informed her of Sofia's tantrum in front of the school that morning. Her guess was no, because Callie seemed unfazed. Riley looked behind her, noticing that Callie had brought her black Mercedes, and asked hesitantly, "So, are you taking us home today?" She was dreading the awkward transfer into the car from the tight parking space while all the kids from school watched. Callie, reading her mind, shook her head, "Don't worry. I'm just here to bring Sofia to her Girl Scout meeting. Arizona should be here any minute with the van to come and get you. You mind waiting a couple of minutes?"

Riley sighed in relief, "That sounds good." Just then, Sofia came from behind her. "Hey m'ija!" Callie called out. Sofia forced a smile, walking past both of them into the car, hopping into the back seat and slamming the door behind her. Callie cringed—it seemed that things were not getting any better between the two girls. Looking over at Riley apologetically, she started, "I'll talk to her—"

"Forget it," Riley said, looking down at her lap. "You guys should get going, or you'll be late." As if on cue, Callie heard the horn of her Mercedes honk from behind her, as Sofia hurried her along. Turning around and holding up a finger to let her daughter know she had to be patient, she turned her attention back to Riley. "I'll see you tonight. If you want, you could help me cook dinner?" Callie offered hesitantly, remembering her promise to Arizona to keep trying, to give it time.

Riley just nodded, pulling out her ipod and inserting the buds into her ears. Reluctantly, Callie turned away from the young girl, and walked toward her car, where her daughter waited impatiently for them to leave.

* * *

Riley had been waiting outside the school for nearly twenty minutes. Most of the kids had already been taken home by their parents, and she was one of only three remaining there. The teacher supervising was beginning to round them up, as Riley continued to watch the road. This wouldn't be the first time Callie and Arizona had been late to get her—as Sofia would say with a shrug, "They're surgeons." But a part of her was weighed down with a strange feeling that something wasn't right.

"Riley, why don't you come inside and wait in the after school program now?" the teacher said from behind her. Riley was just about to move when she saw Arizona driving their long, red van toward the school. She stopped at the red light, and waited to go. "Arizona's right there," Riley told the teacher, pointing toward the van at the intersection.

The light turned green and Arizona pulled into the intersection, when out of nowhere, a black truck came barreling through the red light, smashing right into the van. "Arizona!" Riley shouted as the van spun out of control.

Riley moved to wheel toward her, but her teacher held her wheelchair, setting the brake and preventing her from moving forward. Glaring angrily at her teacher, Riley yelled urgently, "I have to go see if she's okay!" But her teacher, held her in place, looking at her sympathetically as she frantically spoke to 9-1-1 on her cell phone.

Desperately, Riley waited for Arizona to climb out of the van, and come over and tell her that she was fine, or something doctorly like, "It's only a flesh wound." But the door did not open, and Riley saw no movement inside the car.

* * *

" _Woah, there. Take it easy, m'ija. Skating takes practice," Callie instructed her four year old daughter who had just landed flat on her bottom a mere minute after putting on the roller skates they had rented from the rink. Sofia seemed unfazed by this, immediately pulling herself up on the bench and sitting down next to Arizona, who was strapping a roller skate to her prosthetic foot._

" _Momma, are you good at skating?" Sofia asked her mother innocently. Callie nodded enthusiastically, "Momma is very good at skating, Sof." Arizona laughed nervously at her wife's confidence, "Well bug, Momma was very good at skating when she had two legs. She's gonna need some practice now though." Sofia looked at Arizona in confusion, "But you do have two legs, Momma." Arizona laughed at her daughter's confusion, kissing her forehead, "I mean two legs with skin on them bug." Sofia still looked confused but seemed to forget it within a moment, distracted colorful lights floating across the rink._

" _Ready?" Callie asked her wife, who nodded cautiously, reaching both of her hands out and letting Callie slowly help her to her feet. While she felt unsteady on her prosthetic, the skates still felt familiar and she couldn't help but smile. She had missed this. Hugging the wall, Arizona slowly pushed herself forward and onto the rink, Callie following closely behind her, holding Sofia's hand tightly in her own._

 _The three of them made their way slowly around the rink, lap by lap. Arizona moved slowly, one hand on the wall at all times, but smiling ear to ear. After a couple of laps around the rink, Callie let go of Sofia's hand. The young girl sailed along with ease, looking back at her mothers excitedly. "Momma! Mami! I'm skating!" she exclaimed with excitement, "Yes, you are!" Callie encouraged cheerfully as her daughter skated on ahead of them._

 _Having let go of her daughter's hand, Callie grasped onto her wife's, who was watching their daughter rolling along, beaming with pride. "She's a natural," Arizona boasted to her wife, watching Sofia turn the corner smoothly and continue in a new direction. "She is," Callie agreed, squeezing Arizona's hand tightly as the lights turned down, the disco ball above their head reflecting around the rink as it turned._

" _She must get it from Timothy," Arizona stated softly, looking to Callie with tears in her eyes. She laughed to herself, shaking her head, "I mean, I know that's ridiculous, given that she's never met him and they share no genetic material, but—"_

 _Callie cut her wife off with a soft kiss on her lips, "You're right. She gets it from her Uncle Timothy."_

" _Are you talking about me?" Sofia said playfully, as she reversed and skated back over to her mother's. Arizona smiled, placing a hand gently on her head, "We were saying that you skate like your Uncle Timothy. And he would be very proud of you."_

* * *

"42 year-old female, car accident. Unconscious on the scene, probably from shock or the impact of the airbag. Abdomen is rigid—signs of internal bleeding," the EMT spouted out as they rolled Arizona into the hospital where she was met by several residents, who rolled her gurney inside. April Kepner gasped as she approached the scene, "Arizona?" She momentarily froze, but shook herself out of it as she realized the other residents were looking to her to act.

"Okay, take her to trauma room 2. Page neuro," she instructed, following them into the trauma room. "Transfer on three. One, two, three," April lifted up with the team. She heard Arizona wake up beneath her and groan with pain, "What… where…"

"Arizona, you were in a car accident. Don't try to talk. Push 10 cc of morphine," April told an intern, who grabbed a syringe from the drawer in the corner. Just then, Cristina entered the trauma room, "Need any help in here?" she asked, then looked over at the table, gasping when she saw Arizona.

"We got it, Yang," April shot back, but Cristina asked, "Did anyone come in with her?"

Hearing a young voice call out in in the ER, Cristina rushed out, seeing Riley being rolled in by another EMT, "Arizona! I want to see Arizona!" Cristina ran to meet her, looking up at the EMT, "Was she in the car?"

"No, I was waiting for her at school when I saw the truck run into her," Riley explained urgently looking up at Cristina, "I want to see her!" Cristina knelt down to look her in the eyes, "The doctors are working on her right now, and we need to let them do their jobs."

"Is she gonna be okay?" Riley asked desperately. Cristina kept her face neutral, but sympathetic, "The doctors are doing everything they can—"

"I asked if she was going to be okay!" Riley shouted angrily, tears welling up in her eyes. Cristina looked her in the eyes, "I don't know. I hope so." She placed a hand on the girl's shoulder as she began to cry. Cristina walked around and pushed her wheelchair into the waiting room, taking out her cell phone, "I'm going to call Callie, okay? She'll be here soon." Riley nodded through her tears as Cristina searched through her contacts.

* * *

When Callie pulled up to the church where Sofia's Girl Scout meetings took place, Sofia lept out of the car, barely even waiting for the wheels to stop turning, and rushed inside. Rolling her eyes, Callie turned of the engine and stepped out of the car, heading inside behind her. She had to sign a couple of permission slips before leaving her daughter to enjoy the meeting without her.

"Callie! It's good to see you!" the scout leader, Tiffany, greeted her with a smile, "I'm glad you stopped by. When Sofia came in without you, I assumed that you had just dropped her off today." Callie shook her head as she strolled over to the table, sneaking a glance at her daughter who was already deep in conversation with her friends, "Well, you know. At her age, she doesn't want to be seen _entering_ with me. One might think she actually likes spending time with her mother." Tiffany laughed, "I hear that. My kid will try to go a whole meeting without talking to me sometimes, which can be a challenge when your mom's the troop leader."

Chuckling, Callie got down to business. With Arizona leaving work early today to get Riley, she wanted to get this done with as soon as possible in the hopes that the three of them might spend some time together. "So, which of these forms do I need to sign?" Tiffany reached through her folder to locate the permission slip for the trip to the bounce house next weekend when Callie's phone rang.

Pulling it from her purse, Callie looked at the caller ID in confusion; Cristina was calling her. Knowing the Cristina was scheduled to work until midnight tonight, Callie answered in a huff, assuming this was a consult, "I'm not on-call, Yang, so whatever it is, make it quick."

In an instant the color drained from Callie's face, "Wait, what happened?" Tiffany looked over at her in concern, mouthing "is everything okay?" But Callie ignored her, only responding to Cristina, "And Riley's there? She wasn't in the car?" After a quick pause, Callie nodded, answering, "I'll be there as soon as I can. I'm on my way."

Without a word to Tiffany, who was watching her in concern, she walked straight over to Sofia, "M'ija, come on. We have to go." Sofia was about to object, but froze when she saw the panic on her mother's face, "Mami, what's going on?" But her mother was already out the door.

Callie was half way to the car when Sofia caught up to her, "Mami, where are we going?"

"Just get in the car, Sofia," Callie commanded, unlocking the car with her clicker. By the time Sofia had hopped into the back seat, Callie had already started the engine. Sofia was almost in tears by this point, "Mami, you're scaring me. What's going on?"

Stopping to take a breath, Callie turned around and faced her daughter, "Momma was in a car accident, honey. We're going to the hospital." Sofia's face filled with horror as tears instantly began to pour down her cheeks, "Is she gonna be okay?"

The truth was that Callie didn't know, but she reached into the back seat, pulling her trembling daughter in to a tight embrace, "Of course she is." Releasing her, she forced a smile in an attempt to assuage her daughter's fears and focused her eyes on the road in front of her, "Now put on your seatbelt so we can go." Callie instructed, waiting to hear the click before pulling out of the parking space and onto the road.

* * *

"Where is she?" Callie demanded at Cristina as she burst through the doors of the waiting room, Sofia at her heels, her eyes red and her face streaked with tears. Cristina stood to meet her, "They just took her to surgery. Her head CT came back clear, so that's a good thing," Callie nodded, but still wanted more, "What's the surgery for? And who's doing it? It better not be one of the new residents, because they're all idiots—"

"Callie," Cristina interrupted, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder, "You need to calm down, okay? She had some internal bleeding, so they had to go in to repair the damage. Bailey's doing the surgery." She squeezed Callie's shoulder, "Everyone cares about Arizona and is doing everything they can for her. But you've got to calm down." Subtly, Cristina gestured behind her, where Riley was watching them anxiously and Sofia was looking on with big, terrified eyes. Callie understood what Cristina was saying—she was scaring the girls, she needed to calm down for them.

Nodding to her friend, Callie walked up to the girls, pulling Riley toward her and placing a kiss on her head, and wrapping her other arm around Sofia as she took her seat in the waiting room. "She's going to be okay," she said told her girls, holding one of them in each arm protectively.

"Momma's gonna be just fine," she reassured again for a second time as she felt Sofia trembling in her left arm and Riley sniffling in her right. She said it as much for herself as she did for either of them. Arizona would be okay; anything else was too terrible to comprehend.


	20. Chapter 19

They had been waiting for hours, with only a single update from a resident telling them that the surgery was going as well as could be hoped, but that it would likely be several more hours before they were finished. So, the three of them just kept waiting helplessly, Callie in the middle with Sofia on her left and Riley on her right.

At one point, Callie stood to use the restroom and grab herself some coffee. Lord knows she needed it. "Do either of you want anything? Hot chocolate or a cookie? You can have anything you want," she asked them gently, but both of them shook their heads silently, Riley staring at her lap in her and Sofia sitting with her knees pulled up to her chest. With a sigh, Callie nodded. She looked over to Cristina who was sitting at the other end of the room, who nodded to indicate that she would watch them and find her if there was an update.

Sofia sat silently, sneaking glances over at Riley, who was sitting just as mute and still as she was. She thought of the words her mother had told her in the car earlier that day, and shamefully, of the words she had said to Arizona. Biting her lip, Sofia scooted over, taking Callie's vacated seat next to Riley.

Riley heard her move, and looked up at her, but Sofia wasn't ready to say anything yet. She simply stared straight ahead, so Riley looked back at her lap, twirling her earbuds between her fingers. She had been holding her iPod since the crash, but hadn't moved to play it or put it away. Finally, Riley heard Sofia speak up, "I'm sorry I called you a gimp this morning."

Riley shrugged, "It's okay. I know you didn't mean it." She paused and after a moment, added kindly, "I think Arizona knows you didn't mean it too." Sofia felt tears welling up in her eyes again. She determinedly blinked them away, swallowing the lump forming in her throat, "I hope so."

Riley sat, gathering her thoughts, trying to figure out how to phrase her next words, "I know you were upset because that weird lady said that Arizona was my mom." Sofia nodded, unsure of how to respond. They both sat wordlessly for a moment, and Riley thought that maybe Sofia had nothing more to add. But finally, Sofia spoke, "I know it's not your fault or anything. I was just jealous, because like, no stranger has _ever_ assumed that about us. Strangers stare at us in the grocery store. When she comes and gets me from school, new teachers think she's my nanny. Kids at school call her my step-mom. One time, I broke my leg and went to a different hospital, and this doctor wouldn't let her see come and see me." Sofia shook her head, sighing in frustration as she wiped the tears from her eyes once more, "And then, this stranger takes one look at the two of you and… I don't know, I just got mad."

She ended her explanation, hugging her knees tightly to her chest and looking away. Riley bit her lip, letting the story sit for a moment, before responding, "It was kind of weird for me, honestly. I mean, I love Arizona so much. And it's not like I don't think of her…" she paused, not quite ready to voice that thought she'd hidden in the back of her mind for weeks. "It's just that, a part of me liked it. That a stranger thought she was my mom. I never knew my mom, and Arizona, well… " she hesitated, looking for the right words, but when she couldn't find them, ended anticlimactically with, "It was nice."

Sofia nodded in begrudging acknowledgement, still unable to look at Riley, but Riley kept talking anyway, "But then I felt guilty that I liked it. Because my dad… it's like I was betraying him." She finished, looking back at her feet, her fingers still twirling her ear buds anxiously.

Sofia looked at Riley, a new understanding coming over her, and whispered, "Yeah, I can see that." Riley turned her head to meet Sofia's eyes, a small but genuine smile crossing her face.

"I'm sorry, too," Riley said, after a moment's pause. When Sofia looked at her in confusion, she elaborated, "For what I said about your dad. That he didn't mean anything to you. It's like saying my mom doesn't mean anything to me, but that's not true. Even though I didn't know her, I'm sad about that sometimes." Sofia shrugged, looking away before speaking, "But you were right too. It's not the same thing. Like, I am sad about my dad, but the thought…" she took in a shaky breath before continuing again, "the thought of losing…" a sob escaped her lips as she buried her head in her knees, her body shaking with her cries.

Riley reached over, placing a hand on Sofia's back, "You won't lose her. She's gonna be okay." Sofia looked up at her, choking back a couple more cries. Seeing the fear in Riley's eyes that she was desperately trying to hide from her, Sofia reached out and grasped Riley's hand and squeezing tight, "You're not gonna lose her either."

* * *

 _The gravel crunched beneath her feet as Arizona walked down the path, getting further and further away from the military base. She knew that she would likely get in trouble for wandering out of bounds but she didn't care. Today had been awful, and she just wanted to get as far away as possible from the terrible kids in her class. And besides, she was thirteen; if she were from a civilian family, this wouldn't even be an issue. The rules were far too strict here._

" _Zona, wait up!" a voice called out behind her, small feet sliding against the gravel as her 10 year old brother hurried to catch up. Instinctively, Arizona quickened her pace, "Go away, Timothy!" she hollered, her voice laced with annoyance, but her brother persisted, breaking into a run. He had almost caught up to her when his worn out tennis shoes slipped against the gravel and he lost his balance, crashing to the ground. Hearing him fall, Arizona turned and ran to help him, kneeling beside him and examining a scab on his arm, "Are you okay?" she asked gently, but her brother was already back on his feet._

" _I'm fine. Just tell me where you're going," he insisted eagerly, ignoring the angry red mark on his arm. Arizona sighed, "Tim, you aren't supposed to be here." She crossed her arms over her chest, not about to give up her privacy that easily. But her brother was equally stubborn, "Neither are you. And if you make me go back, I'll tell the Colonel you're here and you'll be grounded for the next month."_

 _Arizona rolled her eyes, but uncrossed her arms. She knew she'd been defeated, "I'm just going down to the riverbed. If you must, I guess you can come along." A bright smile crossed Timothy's face, his dimples accented and his blue eyes sparkling, "Thanks Zona!" Arizona didn't respond, turning back toward the path and continued walking, her kid brother closely on her heels. They walked in silence for a while, until Timothy finally spoke up, "Zona, what were all those girls saying about you at school today?"_

 _Arizona looked down at her feet; she had been hoping her brother hadn't noticed them taunting her. She knew that they didn't actually_ know _anything. They were guessing, and even thought they happened to guess correctly, they still didn't know that. But still, she was unnerved by how they had latched onto the way she stared at Jennifer's hair just a little too long. She'd thought she'd been hiding it well—she didn't even fit the stereotypes. She loved pink and hated sports, except for skating but that hardly counted. And yet today, she felt as if suddenly she was wearing a giant sandwich board the read DYKE in all caps._

" _It doesn't matter. They don't know anything," she finally answered her brother. Timothy nodded, but the concerned look on his face remained. Arizona hated that he was worried about her—after all, she was the big sister. It was her job to look after him. To be a good man in the storm and protect the things she loved._

 _When they finally reached the river, Arizona sat down in front of it picking up stone after stone and tossing them in, watching the ripples crash against the slow moving current. Timothy sat next to her, picking up scoops of gravel and letting it drain between his fingers, pattering on the ground like rain._

 _She didn't know what compelled her, but suddenly she felt that she had to tell someone. Maybe it was the steady flow of the river or the ripples of the pebbles crashing into the water or the terrible feeling of hiding something so deep within her for so long, but she just couldn't keep it all inside anymore. She had to trust someone. And even if he was her kid brother, who seemed to spend all day looking for new ways to annoy her, it often seemed that he was the only friend she had in this stupid town._

" _Timothy, I'm gay," she finally said, barely above a whisper. He was silent for a long time—it was excruciating. She wasn't even totally sure he had heard her but she couldn't manage to say it again. Finally, she felt his gaze turn toward her and heard him reply, "Does that mean you're gonna marry a chick?"_

 _A small chuckle escaped Arizona's lips at that phrasing—it was so Timothy. "Yeah, Tim. That's what it means."_

 _This time, she didn't have to wait long for his reaction. Relief flooded through her veins as she saw a humongous grin spread across his face, "I'm gonna dance_ so hard _at your wedding!"_

* * *

Making her way back to the waiting room, Callie carried a large coffee in one hand and two chocolate chip cookies in the other. Even though both girls had told her that they weren't hungry, she was hoping that somehow, a mediocre cookie from the hospital cafeteria might change their minds. Neither of them had eaten dinner, after all, and she was getting worried about them. She hadn't eaten dinner either, but she was so anxious that the thought of food made her nauseous.

As she rounded the corner to the waiting room, she froze. Sofia had moved over into her chair, and was talking to Riley, for the first time probably in weeks. She watched Sofia pull her knees tighter to her chest, and burst into tears, and was just about to run up to comfort her when Riley reached over, placing a hand gently on her back. She waited to see how the gesture would be received, and was shocked when she saw her daughter reach over and grasp Riley's hand tightly in her own.

Callie felt the tears well up in her eyes as she watched Riley, who had been so worried about Arizona, and now, who was comforting her daughter so gently. And in a rush, she knew Arizona was right. This was _her_ kid, _their_ kid.

It didn't matter that she didn't share Riley's blood, and it didn't matter that she didn't have the strong, seemingly instant connection that Arizona did. This kid loved her wife and her daughter so much, and that was enough. Callie knew that somehow, when she wasn't looking, when she was worrying about everything that might not work out, Riley had become a part of their family.

She took a deep breath and collected herself before walking over to the girls. "Okay, so I know you both said you didn't want anything, but I was hoping you might change your minds when you saw these _delicious_ chocolate chip cookies!" She held out the two seran wrapped cookies with a smile. After a moment, Sofia and Riley exchanged a look, bursting into giggles and reaching out to take the cookies.

"Thanks Callie," Riley said, with a small, but genuine smile. As Callie's eyes met Riley's, she somehow knew she was referring to more than the cookie. Callie leaned forward, placing a kiss on the top of Riley's head.


	21. Chapter 20

It was close to midnight when Callie was awakened by a gentle nudge. Jolting awake, she saw Bailey standing patiently over her, still dressed in her scrub cap and blue gown. "How is she?" Callie asked, as she felt Riley and Sofia waking beside her, looking up intently at Bailey for an update.

Bailey smiled and began her report, "The surgery went well, and she's in recovery. I had to repair some tears in her liver, and her spleen had ruptured from the impact, so I had to remove that, but there was no significant damage to any of her other organs." Callie let out the breath she'd been unconsciously holding, burying her head in her hands as tears of relief flooded over her.

"What does that mean?" Sofia asked with worry, scared that her mother's tears meant that something bad had happened. Bailey cradled Sofia's face in her hand gently, wiping away a stray tear with her thumb, "It means that your mom is gonna be just fine." Sofia relaxed, a wide smile crossing her face, she looked over at Riley, who was also smiling in relief. "She'll have to stay here a few of days, and it will take a few weeks to recover, so you'll have to be gentle when you hug her and make sure to help her a lot around the house."

"Can we see her?" Riley asked quietly, her eyes pleading with Bailey, who shrugged and smiled, "I don't see why not. She should be waking up any minute. Just remember to be gentle. And she'll need her rest, so not for too long." Callie nodded, and looked from Riley to Sofia, who both indicated that they understood. Callie grasped the handles of Riley's wheelchair and followed Bailey, Sofia right beside them.

When they reached Arizona's room, the sliding glass door was already open, and they were all thrilled to see that Arizona was already awake, looking to a resident to was checking her vitals. "Momma!" cried Sofia, running into the room. Callie was about to enter with Riley, when a new resident stopped her, looking at Riley and explaining, "Sorry, but only family is allowed in the ICU after visiting hours."

Bailey looked like she was about to ream the resident, but Callie responded quickly, "She's my daughter." The resident muttered an embarrassed apology, and Callie looked nervously down at Riley, unsure of how she would respond to that statement. But Riley was looking up at her with a small, but genuine, smile. "Come on, let's go see Momma," Callie whispered in her ear, pushing Riley into Arizona's room.

Sofia was already sitting on the edge of Arizona's bed, holding her hand tightly, "I'm so sorry, Momma. About what I said earlier—"

Arizona cut her off with a firm squeeze of her hand, blinking the tears from her eyes, "It's okay, bug. It's okay." Her voice was weak and raspy, but clear. Tears rushed from Sofia's eyes, "I love you, Momma." Though her face was pale and bruised, Arizona smiled warmly at her daughter, "Oh, I know. And I love you, too. So much, bug."

Bringing her eyes to up to see Callie and Riley entering, Arizona looked up at them with a loving smile, "Hey. How are my girls?" Callie placed a hand on Sofia's shoulder, and Sofia nodded, stepping back and releasing Arizona's hand after a final squeeze so that Riley could take a turn.

Wheeling herself up to the edge of the bed, she looked into Arizona's blue eyes, her own eyes filling with tears. Arizona slowly reached forward a few inches and placed a hand on Riley's head, cringing slightly at the movement, but smiling gently to hide it. "I know this must've scared you," she whispered to Riley, who looked away, nodding as a couple of tears rolled from her cheeks. "I'm sorry," Arizona said remorsefully, hating that Riley had witnessed this, especially after her traumatic car accident. Riley gave her a watery smile, "It's alright. I'm just glad you're okay."

Arizona nodded, "I am okay." She smiled warmly, "And I love you so much." Riley nodded vehemently, "Me too."

With a glance over at Bailey, Arizona asked, "Sofia, Riley, why don't you both go back to the waiting room with your Aunt Bailey and give me a moment with your mother?" Reluctantly, the girls nodded, and after sharing some final "I love yous," followed Bailey from the room, leaving Arizona alone with her wife.

Callie rolled a stool up to the side of the bed, tenderly taking Arizona's hand in hers and kissing it tenderly. She held Arizona's gaze for a moment before dropping her head onto the bed, sobs overtaking her body. Arizona gently ran her free hand through Callie's hair, "I'm okay, Calliope. I'm okay."

After a few minutes, Callie's sobs finally subsided as she lifted her head up to look into Arizona's eyes, "I love you so much," she whispered, her voice still strained and wet. A tear slipped down Arizona's cheek, "I know, Calliope. I love you, too."

Callie laughed, breaking the tension, "I swear to god, between the car crash, and the plane crash, and then _this_ car crash, we've got to be done with all of this crap by now. Don't you think?" Arizona chuckled, but winced, her abdomen hurting when she laughed. She looked up at Callie, her eyes drooping. Seeing the exhaustion in Arizona's eyes, Callie set her hand down gently, "Go to sleep. I'll be here when you wake up."

* * *

"So, the girls bought some la-and and a road sta-and out on highway one oh nine," Sofia sang as Riley played her guitar, taking over the next line, "They sold Tennessee ha-am and strawberry ja-am, and they don't lose any sleep at night." The exchanged a look, singing the next like in unison, "Cause Earl had to die!" Sofia was about to jump into the "Na na na's" when she saw Bailey walking down the hall; instead, she signaled to Riley, who instantly hid the guitar under Arizona's bed.

"I did not just hear musical instruments and singing about murder in my ICU," Bailey chastised, looking at Sofia and Riley who grinned sheepishly, but Arizona just beamed at them; she loved that her girls had prepared a song for her to make her feel better.

"I just need to check your incision site. You should be clear to go home tomorrow, if all goes well," Bailey reported, and Sofia and Riley cheered in the corner. Arizona grinned, "Thank god. I can't wait to get out of here, and get back to work—"

"Hold up, not so fast," Bailey interjected, holding a hand up in a 'stop' gesture. "I said _nothing_ about getting back to work, because you will be at home _resting_ for _at least_ another two weeks before you can even consider _easing_ back into work, _slowly,_ " Arizona rolled her eyes, but Bailey raised her eyebrows, "Don't you roll your eyes at me! And you two," she turned to Sofia and Riley sitting on the other end of the room, "I know how she is. She's going to get bored and want to work on little _projects_ around the house, so you both have to watch her and be extra helpful. Got it?"

"We got it, Aunt Bailey," stated Sofia with a nod, giving her mother a knowing look. At that moment, Callie entered holding a small suitcase in her right hand, followed by Meredith and Zola, who immediately walked over to sit next to Riley and Sofia.

"How's she doing?" Callie asked Bailey, leaning over and giving her wife a quick kiss on the lips before turning her attention to her doctor. "As I was saying," Bailey began, "She should be able to come home tomorrow, provided that she spends the next couple of weeks _resting_ and _taking it easy_."

"Oh, that will not be a problem," Callie reassured Bailey, giving her wife a stern look, "I'll make sure she doesn't lift a finger." Bailey nodded, seemingly satisfied, "Well, good. Now visiting hours are almost over, so…"

"Oh, we're just leaving," Meredith interjected. Callie turned to Riley and Sofia, "Alright girls, say goodnight." The girls went over and said their goodnights to Arizona, then Sofia discretely fetched the guitar from under the bed, putting it in its case and carrying it out as the two of them followed Meredith and Zola from the room.

Bailey looked sternly at Callie, "And you—"

"I'm staying here tonight. I've already requested a cot," Bailey rolled her eyes. "You are the worst patients ever! With your musical instruments and sleepovers in the ICU." Arizona laughed, giving Bailey a genuine smile, "Oh, you know you love us, Miranda."

Bailey smiled genuinely, before smugly replying, "I sure do. Because if I didn't, _you_ would be sleeping in an on-call room tonight." Callie smiled gratefully, "Thank you, Bailey."

Standing up straight, Bailey addressed Arizona, "I'll see you in the morning." And with that, she left the room, leaving Callie and Arizona alone.

Taking caution not to disturb Arizona's incision site, or any of her monitors or IVs, Callie climbed onto the bed next to her, and Arizona rested her head against her shoulder, "You know, you don't have to stay here again tonight. I'll be okay, and the girls should be sleeping in their own beds."

"Are you kidding?" Callie responded casually, "It's like a week's worth of sleepovers with Zola. Those girls are in heaven." Arizona laughed lightly, looking up at Callie, "Well, do _you_ want to sleep in your own bed? I mean, you must be exhausted—"

Callie cut her off by placing a kiss on her lips, "I sleep better when I'm near you." Arizona's smile widened, and Callie gently placed an arm on her shoulder, bringing her delicately to her side.

"So…" began Callie, taking Arizona's hand in hers, "I called Riley's social worker today." She felt Arizona shift against her as she waited patiently for her wife to continue, "And I told her that we wanted begin the adoption process."

Arizona turned to face her wife, ignoring the pain in her side caused by the sudden movement, "Calliope." Her eyes filled with tears as she beamed up at her wife, "Thank you, Calliope." But Callie shook her head, "Don't thank me. She's our girl. I know that now." Arizona nodded, leaning in and touching her forehead against Callie's, "I love you so much."

Callie held her cheek in her hand, gently brushing her wife's blonde locks behind her ears, "Me too."

Laying gingerly back on the bed, Arizona returned her head to Callie's shoulder. Thinking about her beautiful family. she closed her tired eyes and fell asleep.

* * *

 _Arizona walked back into Johns Hopkins followed by Timothy after what had been one of the most fun and exhilarating days she'd had in a long time. Shortly after Timothy had surprised her with a visit, they had left the hospital, hopping a train to DC, where they spent the entire day exploring the Smithsonian Museums and the other quirks of the city. The pair had even found a shop to rent some roller skates and skated up and down the National Mall. After making their way back to Baltimore, they had crashed on Arizona's couch, falling asleep watching movies before the alarm had awoken them rudely, telling Arizona that she had to return to work and Timothy that he had to catch his plane back to base camp._

" _I guess you're not exactly well rested for your shift, huh?" said Timothy cautiously as they entered the hospital; he didn't want his surprise visit to interfere with her work too much. But Arizona shrugged casually, "I'm never well rested for my shift. I don't think I've been well rested since I started my residency." She smiled up at her little brother, "I'm also not sure I've had such a wonderful day since starting residency. I'm glad you came. Can you believe that in all the time I've been living in Baltimore, I've never gotten a chance to explore the Smithsonian?"_

 _Timothy shook his head woefully. "That's a damn shame, Zona," he teased, crossing his hands over his chest. He then looked at her sincerely, "Seriously, though. You've got to go back and explore more. We barely scratched the surface and you deserve to take a break now and then." Arizona nodded, "Maybe when I finish my residency I'll take another trip over there."_

 _She stopped in front of the locker room, turning to her brother with a sad smile. This was it. She had to clock in and go to work, and he really needed to leave and catch his plane. She hesitated, not quite knowing what to say. She had never been good at good byes._

" _Oh! I almost forgot," Timothy exclaimed, pulling his pack off his shoulder and rummaging through it until he found what he was looking for, pulling out an old polaroid camera. "We need to take a picture. Dad got me this for Christmas, but I'm so bad at remembering to take pictures in the moment. And you're even worse."_

 _Arizona groaned, "Do we have to Timothy? I haven't showered in three days. I'm a mess," she whined, self consciously adjusting her messy ponytail. Just then, Amelia walked by and, having overheard the last bit of conversation, chimed in, "Yeah, I can tell." Arizona glared at her friend, but Timothy beamed at the opportunity, "Amelia! Take a picture of me and Zona, would you?"_

 _Arizona rolled her eyes but Amelia beamed, grabbing the camera and directing it at the two of them. Squeezing his sister tightly against his side, Timothy cajoled, "Come on, Zona. Smile!" After rolling her eyes in mild annoyance, Arizona relented, breaking into a genuine smile as Amelia snapped the photo. As it popped out, Amelia handed it to Timothy, but he handed it to Arizona. "Something to remember me by," he stated melodramatically, earning him a slug on the arm, "Oh, shut up. You'll be fine." She refused to believe anything else._

 _Checking her watch, Amelia cringed, "Yikes, rounds start in one minute. You coming?" Arizona nodded, "Yeah, go on ahead. I'll meet you in a minute." Knowing she wanted a moment alone with her brother to say good bye, Amelia turned and headed down the hall ahead of her._

 _The moment they had both been dreading since Timothy arrived had finally come. Leaning over, Arizona wrapped her arms around her brother's waist tightly and he hugged her back with equal force. They didn't say anything—they didn't have to. They already knew everything they needed to know._

 _Finally, Arizona pulled away, holding back tears as she said, "Take care of yourself." Timothy nodded, casually saluting her as he walked away, "Until we meet again, Zona." And with that, he turned and disappeared around the corner._


	22. Epilogue

The autumn leaves flew past them as Callie drove her family through Arlington, following the directions that Arizona dictated to her from the passenger seat, while Sofia and Riley sat in the back seat, passing a game of magnetic checkers back and forth. To celebrate Riley's adoption, which had been finalized just a couple weeks ago, Callie and Arizona had decided to take the girls on a family trip to Washington D.C. Sofia had wanted to visit the Smithsonian for years now, plus it presented them with the opportunity to visit Timothy's grave, something that Arizona had wanted to show her family for a long time.

"Pull over here," Arizona instructed, indicating to the side of the curb next to an oak tree. "Checkmate!" Sofia cried out in triumph from the back seat, causing Riley to roll her eyes, "I _told_ you, that's for chess. You can't checkmate in checkers!" But Sofia just smiled smugly, "You're just upset that you lost." Sighing in frustration, Riley mumbled, "Whatever. I want a rematch."

"Later m'ijas, put it away for now," Callie told them as she put the car in park, and pulled her keys from the ignition. Arizona opened her door and stepped out into the chill autumn air, staring solemnly at the long rows of graves before opening the sliding door and lowering the ramp so that Riley could roll herself out onto the grass.

"How far is it?" Riley asked tentatively, looking nervously at the grass as she gripped the wheels of her chair tightly, Sofia clamoring out behind her and shutting the sliding door of the rental van with the click of a button. Arizona smiled gently, reading the young girl's mind, "Not far, cricket." Feeling Callie's gentle hand on her back, Arizona grasped the handles of Riley's wheelchair, pushing her firmly through the bumpy grass, Sofia walking quietly beside them.

Arizona counted silently as she walked past the headstones, and then abruptly stopped, Callie and Sofia halting right behind her. She looked down at the headstone, swallowing the catch in her throat that emerged as she read his name at the top: Timothy Michael Robbins.

"Here we are," Arizona stated for her family's sake, though she knew they had all read the headstone by now. They stood silently in front of the grave for a moment, before Arizona broke the silence, addressing her late brother, "Timothy, this is my family."

As they stood quietly, Sofia looking up at her mother in confusion, finally asking cautiously, "Momma, I thought you didn't talk to dead people, because you don't believe they can hear you." Arizona looked kindly at her curious daughter as she felt Callie's hand resting comfortingly on her shoulder, "I don't believe he can hear me. But sometimes pretend he can, and I talk to him anyway. For me, and for you," she explained simply, and Sofia nodded, focusing her eyes back on the headstone.

Hearing a light rustling behind her, Arizona turned to gratefully see Callie pulling out a bouquet of flowers from her bag. Callie removed three roses, handing one to Sofia, one to Riley, and keeping one for herself, before placing the remainder of the bouquet in Arizona's open arms. Leaning forward, Callie respectfully placed her rose in front of Timothy's headstone, and Sofia and Riley followed in suit.

Callie pulled Arizona to her briefly, placing a gentle kiss on the top of her head, and whispered, "We'll give you a minute." Taking hold of Riley's wheelchair, she slowly pushed her daughter away from the grave, Riley taking one last lingering look before facing forward. Sofia stood before Timothy's grave for a final minute, leaning forward and whispering, "I love you, Uncle Timothy," before giving her Momma a tight hug, and walking back to where Callie was waiting for her by the car. While some people liked to spend hours by their relatives' graves, chatting and even bringing picnic baskets, Callie knew that her wife was not one of those people. Arizona came and paid brief respects, and left quickly without lingering. She needed to keep moving forward.

Arizona stood before her beloved brother's headstone, taking in just for a moment all the memories of a lifetime with Timothy, and another lifetime without him. She looked downward at his headstone and then up the sky, forcing herself to smile as she felt warm rays of sun cut through the cool air. "I really do have a beautiful family," she said gratefully, half to her brother and half to herself. And with that, she laid the flowers gently at her feet and turned away, leaving her brother's tomb behind her as she walked forward to where her family stood waiting for her to join them.

* * *

 **A/N: To all of you who have finished this story, and stuck with it from the beginning-thank you so much. This story has meant so much to me, and I'm so happy to get to share it with all of you.**

 **I'm considering writing more about this family—in either one-shots or a full-length sequel. Let me know if that's something you'd be interested in, or if you have any prompts!**

 **Again, thank you so much for reading!**


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